The King and his Daughter
by Fire Inu Princess
Summary: Sequel to The King and his Son. Naruto is now the owner of Uzumaki Corperation, he tries his best to look after his family but when someone tries to steal his company, and his daughter falling for a bad boy, he doesn't know how this could get worse. Though, he fears that history will repeat, resulting with his death and Kazumi being consumed by guilt.
1. Chapter 1

_I didn't think that I would be this happy… I married Hinata, someone I have been friends with since I was born, who I was also supposed to marry due to some agreement from our fathers. It was strange I'll admit, but I was happy to see how my life turned out even though I had to go through pain and suffering to get to where I am today. I was ten when I lost my father due to a fellow worker named Orochimaru. I had ran off, wanting to have a new life just so I could forget the pain of loss and the guilt of causing my father's death._

_I lived with my friends Sakura and Sasuke since then. After only two years of staying with them, we had started our own band called 'The Red Whirlpool', the music I played were a symbol of the pain and emotions that raged deep within me. The music had helped me with my deep emotional pain; even my friend's tried to help even though I never told them about my past. I trust them completely, even after they had found out of my past._

_When I turned twenty, I didn't think that I would run into Hinata… not then or ever. I didn't think Hinata would want to see me again but… we spent time together… I fell in love with her._

_I returned home, I kicked Orochimaru's ass… he fell off the building, I inherited my father's company and married Hinata. Our lives would be peaceful at last! Well, sadly for us our stories are only beginning, and now… the last of my tale, revolves around my daughter Kazumi and her own journey to her path in life and for her own chance at love._

Naruto sat down in his chair, his glasses over his eyes as he finished writing down the music sheet for the band. He knew that it was still so for him to still be playing since he has so many other things to tend to now. The company, the band, his music school… his family, he had so many people depending on him. Though, he couldn't help but wonder if his life was going to remain this peaceful. Would someone else try to get his company like the snake that once worked for his father only to betray him in cold blood?

'_It's best not to think about that… My main priority is my family…'_ thought Naruto with a deep sigh before setting aside his glasses, his blue eyes shined with the desire to play this song already. Leaning back in his chair, the young man sighed softly as looked up at the ceiling. It's been a long time since he was playing music, though not as long as it should have been since he's owned the company. Smiling to himself, Naruto also couldn't believe just how great his life became after he regained the company.

He married the woman he loves, and has a beautiful daughter. Though the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if he would be a good father. After all, he lost his father when he was ten, now he had his own child and feared that he would be a terrible father. Shaking his head, the young man ran a hand through his slightly longer spiky blonde hair. It almost seemed like a dream to him the more he thought about it.

Laughing to himself, Naruto sat up straight and rose to his feet as he started to adjust his clothes. He adjusted his orange plaid shirt, rolling up the sleeves to his elbows, and checked his blue jeans to make sure that they didn't have any more holes in it than they should. He would definitely have to get some new jeans after this, that's for sure.

"Hey Naruto." Said a male's voice, causing Naruto to turn around and saw the two new comers, his two best friends, Sasuke and Sakura. They had recently gotten married so it made things a little difficult for their band practice. Though, they all came to an agreement that they would gather now and again but until Sasuke and Sakura had another child it would be a while until that happened again. "Got a new song done?" asked Sasuke with a small smile.

"Yeah, just got it done a moment ago. We have time to practice before Hinata and Kazumi show up. I promised to take them out to dinner tonight."

"Well, what are we waiting for!" shouted Sakura.

They sure haven't changed. Sakura had trimmed her pink hair a bit, some locks of her hair framed her face perfectly, her green eyes shined with the joy of playing a new song. Her clothes were a white muscle shirt with a jean jacket, a short shirt that didn't reach that far but under that was a pair of tight fitting pants and some black dress shoes.

As for Sasuke, his hair was still the same shape and style. Spiked out the back reminding him of a duck's rear end with two locks at the sides slightly framing his face. His dark eyes were a bit cocky as if saying he was the best at playing bass guitar. Though, Naruto had to agree with that they Sasuke was good at playing base, like how Sakura was good at playing drums. Getting a better look at Sasuke's clothes, the black haired man was wearing a black t-shirt with his family's crest in the top corner, over his heart. A pair of black jeans, Sasuke must be in some kind of black phase or something. The only thing that had any colour on him was his white sneakers.

"What are we waiting for dope? Let's play," said Sasuke with a grin.

"You're never going to stop calling me that are you?"

"What_ever_ gave you that idea Naruto?"

Naruto just sighed and started to head over to his guitar. No matter how long it's been, this was his guitar and nothing would change that. Well, people would always claim that he 'stole' this guitar from Oturan Umaki, not believing him when he tells them that he was him but maybe that was how it was to be sometimes. The only people who need to believe him are his friends and family. No one else needs to know. Well, there is the odd time someone believed him and that made him smile at the very least.

Looking over at Sasuke and Sakura, he handed them the sheet music and stood by the microphone, getting ready to play the song. Looking over at them, he smiled softly when he saw that they were ready to play the song. He was sure that he would have plenty of time before Hinata and Kazumi showed up.

_We are warriors,  
born from the light  
An army for freedom,  
defenders of life_

Naruto just kept his expression calm as he and Sasuke sang. It was a simple song, but it held meaning. The more he thought about it, the more he remembered that the song was true in a sense. They were warriors and they fought against a great evil named Orochimaru. The man that would have brought the company down and become bankrupt and that was the last thing that anyone would have wanted.

_At night, high up in the heavens we fight  
Faster than lightning we strike  
Like fires that rip through the night  
Surrounded by light_

_Raging thunder in the skies  
Time has come to sacrifice_

The instruments started to play at a fast pace. Though a pace that they could easily keep up with thanks to years of performing. Naruto couldn't help but smile at the thought of playing for others. Just thinking about how happy he made people with music though at the time, the songs had reflected his own inner turmoil and pain. Though he had to admit… it would have worked better if his hair was red and longer.

_We are warriors,  
born from the light  
An army for freedom,  
defenders of life  
Warriors,  
euphoria will rise  
Returning from darkness  
we bury all lies_

Naruto felt his fingers just gliding on the guitar strings as he played. It almost seemed like he could perform magic through his hands, must have been one of the reasons why he was good at some of the ninjutsu that his father had taught him. Or it was so the ninja art wouldn't fade into history.

_The knights,  
outcast and lost in the skies  
Returning to heaven denied  
Louder than thunder we ride  
Ready to strike_

Looking at the mirror across the room, Naruto saw that he had changed since he married Hinata and took over the company. He was happier, filled with so much joy like when he was a child and before the guilt that had consumed his heart and mind. The only reminder of his childhood had been the scar he received from protecting Hinata from the masked man. Never did find out what had happened to that man… Maybe it had been Orochimaru that was the masked man but… he never admitted to that part. Only to killing his father… '_I must be over thinking things…'_

_Call for us and you will survive  
Follow us to paradise_

As he played, Naruto couldn't help but think about the life he had now. He had a beautiful wife and a beautiful little girl. He had friends who cared about him, as well as his mother. Though, he couldn't help but wonder what would be in store for him, for the past year or so, he's been feeling a little uneasy. Was this uneasy feeling belonging to Kurama and flooding into him or was it something else? Was he more sensitive to coming disasters or was it something more than that?

_We are warriors,  
born from the light  
An army for freedom,  
defenders of life  
Warriors,  
euphoria will rise  
Returning from darkness  
we bury all lies_

Hell, he doesn't even know why he wrote this song. Normally he doesn't write something like this… heavy but softer and sad songs, well softer than this is. Shaking his head, the young man kept on playing his guitar and singing with Sasuke.

_Here we are,  
the warriors of light  
Here we are,  
we came from the night  
Here we are,  
the warriors of light  
Here we are, euphoria will rise_

The song was perfect so far, and for that he was thankful. He hated it when the song just didn't seem to fit, that it didn't seem to work. He would work for hours and hours on the song making sure that it was perfect. As he sang, he couldn't help but wonder more about that strange feeling that caused him to worry… would something bad happen? He didn't know but that nagging feeling just wouldn't leave him alone. Maybe he was craving ramen…

_We are warriors,  
born from the light  
An army for freedom,  
defenders of life  
Warriors,  
euphoria will rise  
Returning from darkness  
we bury all lies_

Smiling a bit, Naruto took a deep breath as he tried to get himself to relax. Maybe the song was just getting to him… this was something new for him after all compared to how most of his songs normally went. Looking over at Sasuke and Sakura, he saw that they were happy with the song so maybe it was just him that was worried about something. Either way, he had to act like nothing was wrong with him at the moment.

_We are warriors,  
born from the light_

Naruto knew that the song wasn't long per say, but he was already starting to sweat. Must have been the lights or the heater, either way one was giving off too much heat and it was starting to affect him in some way. He would definitely need a good drink after this.

_Warriors,  
euphoria will rise  
Returning from darkness  
we bury all lies_

Once the song was done, Naruto took a deep breath, setting down his guitar and walked over to his work desk. He definitely needed a drink now. Yawning, he grabbed his water bottle, tossing a few to Sasuke and Sakura as he drank. It was nice to catch up to his friends, sure they worked for him in the company but still, it was just nice to know that they could still be friends even though they don't have a lot of live performances anymore. Sasuke's and Sakura's son was in pre-school with his daughter Kazumi and had became good friends. So at least his daughter wouldn't be alone at school.

They laughed, joked, talked about some old times and some of the crazy things that Naruto would get them into when he was 'hiding' from his past. It was nice… nice to catch up. Chuckling, Naruto finished is water and had been about to say something until a certain little voice squealed out "daddy! Daddy, daddy, daddy!"

Turning his head, Naruto looked at the doorway and saw two people; one of them was running toward him with her arms out stretched toward him. Naruto chuckled at the little girl, her blonde and blue tipped hair bounced as she ran, her lavender coloured eyes so much like her mother's, were filled with joy and delight. Her clothes was a pink dress covered in flowers and a few grass stains. Must have been rolling around in the grass again, though it was cute to see his daughter happy even if she was dirty from grass stains.

Looking up at the woman, she wore a white button blouse, black dress shoes and matching black heeled sandals. The outfit suited her, when he looked up at her face, her hair was pulled back in a ponytail at her neck, her eyes sparkled with love, love at him, and their little girl. "Hey Hinata, Kazumi." He said with both of them after picking up Kazumi and setting her on his lap. "How are my two favourite girls?"

"Fine Naru-kun." Said Hinata with a smile as she walked toward them, though Naruto was a little confused as to why they were here so early, he thought that he wouldn't see them until four.

Looking down at the smiling little girl, Naruto asked "did you have fun Kazumi?" Kazumi looked up at her father and giggled while nodding her head. Her blonde curls bouncing from the movement. Naruto couldn't help but chuckle and nuzzle his face against hers. Kazumi could only laugh out in joy as she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck.

"I had fun daddy!" said Kazumi with a giggle. Naruto smiled gently before pushing himself up. Taking a deep breath, Naruto looked at his friends, telling them that he was going to leave. It was time to spend time with his family. Of course, Sasuke and Sakura understood and went to pick up their son. Kazumi looked up between her parents as she asked "will grandma eat with us tonight? I like grandma Kushina… she's funny like daddy."

Naruto could only laugh.

* * *

"Naruto, do you and Hinata plan to have more children?" asked Kushina.

Naruto spat out his drink from shock and started coughing. Wiping his mouth on a napkin, he stared at his mother's kind face. Her hair had darkened a little bit from age but she was still young. Must have been the Uzumaki blood-line shining through. Her brown eyes shined with joy, though it still held a hint of sadness from losing her husband. Naruto figured that no matter how much time passes that she'll always miss his father.

Clearing his throat, he calmly said "mom, me and… and Hinata haven't really thought of more children. We're not even sure if… if we're ready for any more kids." His face was beat red, how could this conversation get any worse?

"Naruto, you're both good parents with Kazumi besides… I want lots and lots of grandchildren to spoil." Naruto groaned and rubbed his temples. Kazumi though just laughed and giggled as she looked between her father and grandmother. It was amazing to her though her mother was as red as a cherry.

"Um… Kushina, we're just not sure if we're ready for another baby yet. Kazumi is the only bundle of joy we need right now." Hinata said, trying to remain calm at all times. Naruto knew that Hinata was going to faint if this kept up. Even though she had gotten over some of… well, some of her shyness she still fainted if her mind was overwhelmed.

Waving his arms around, Naruto said "mom please! We'll talk about this later okay? Please? We should just have a nice dinner and enjoy ourselves okay? We might or might not have children; there is no way of knowing what will happen okay?" Kushina started to pout, as if she wanted to keep going with the conversation but didn't. For that, Naruto was thankful, though he had a feeling that his mother was still going to go on and on about more grandchildren until Hinata was somehow pregnant. '_Sometimes I wonder who I really take after… mom, or dad…'_ he thought with a sigh before taking a bite of his ramen. Maybe things couldn't get worse after all. There would be nothing, NOTHING that could make things more awkward.

"Daddy, why would a boy kiss me cheek?"

Naruto spat out his ramen, he had spoken too soon.


	2. Chapter 2

_My father wanted me to help him write some things in his book so here I am. My name is Kazumi Uzumaki-Namikaze. I'm the only child of Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze and Hinata Hyuuga. For as long as I could remember, my parents have been deeply in love and I have noticed it even when I was a little girl. Though, when I was growing up, I saw how many people expected me to be famous like my father was and still is._

_I remember how I used to love to sing when I was younger, but… one day when I was a child, I messed up on a song and… well… I guess the only way to make it more understandable is if you saw, or more like heard for yourself._

Kazumi yawned softly as she woke up. Blinking sleepily, she looked over at her clock and tilted her head. Happy that her dad taught her how to read a clock and what time to get up in the morning for school, though it made her wonder why she couldn't stay home with her parents. She had heard from grandma Kushina that her father used to go to the company with her and grandpa Minato. Frowning, Kazumi looked out the window just at the side of her room. Wondering what would happen today for school.

So many things entered her young mind as she tried to think on what was going to happen since her teacher had told them that they were going to do something fun today. Giggling to herself, Kazumi crawled out of bed and went to her dresser, wondering what tasty meal her mother had prepared for today.

"Oh well! I just hope that it's fun!" Kazumi said with a giggle.

* * *

While sitting at the table, Kazumi swung her legs while she sat at the dinner table and ate her sliced up pancakes. Her mother's cooking was amazing, that was for sure, though she wondered where her father was this morning. Frowning, Kazumi looked up at her mother as she asked "where's daddy?"

"Your daddy had a call and he was asked to speak at your school today. You'll see him there." Hinata said with a bright smile on her face before reaching over and wiping her daughter's syrup stained face. Kazumi on the other hand, didn't like it one bit. She hated it when her mother wiped her mouth. But she did love the attention. The little girl just laughed though when her mother finished, and of course her face just got covered in syrup once more. It seemed that it had been a wasted effort since she still wasn't done eating.

Though as she ate, Kazumi couldn't help but wonder what her father would be doing at her school. It was a little strange but she had a feeling that it had to involve work. Suddenly, she grinned thinking that maybe he was going to take her out for ramen afterwards. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all. Suddenly, she had thought of something… who was going to drive her to school if her father was already gone? Looking up at her mother, Kazumi asked "are you driving me to school today mommy?"

"I am sweetie don't worry. We'd never let you miss school." Hinata said with a bright smile on her face. This of course made Kazumi smile. To her, school was fun and nothing could make it bad for her. She even had her good friend Ryu there waiting for her every day. Yawning, Kazumi finished her meal before her mother could wipe her face, Kazumi made a mad dash for the bathroom to wash up herself. There was no way that she was going to have her mother wipe her face again.

As she walked to the bathroom, the little girl looked up at all the pictures that hung on the wall. So many pictures resided on the walls. Many were of her father when he was a child with his parents. They all seemed so happy… The more she looked, the more she saw that her father looked just like grandpa. But, in the picture there wasn't a scar on his face like he has now. It must have been taken before the scar was made.

Looking at the other pictures as she walked, Kazumi saw that they all held other pictures. Though most of them have been business photos from after her father was ten, none of them had him in them for some reason. But she knew that her grandfather wasn't in them because he had died when her father was a child just older than she was.

Yes, her parents have told her stories from when they were children but Kazumi knew, just knew that they were hiding things from her. Whatever it was, she was going to find out and nothing was going to stop her. She got that, from her father. Tilting her head, she finally stopped at a few pictures that she had seen many, many times. Pictures of her father with long red hair, no whisker marks and sadness within his blue eyes, it had always confused her as to how his hair had turned colours or how the whisker marks had faded but she never asked him about it. Not like he would have answered her anyway.

Finally, the last few pictures were of both her parents wedding picture, her mother at the hospital holding her as a baby with her father's arm wrapped around her shoulders, and finally a family picture of her parents, and her being held in her father's arms.

Kazumi sometimes wondered if she could ever life up to her father. Even though she was a child, she still sometimes had the thoughts of someone older than her actual age. Frowning at the picture, Kazumi was sure that she would live up to her father. She sang well, there was nothing that was going to stop her from her dream of being a singer like her father. Smiling, Kazumi went to the bathroom and started to wash her hands and face.

Today was going to be a good day.

* * *

Kazumi wondered around the school halls. Recess was over and done with for the day and now, she had to go to class. It was strange to see so many people talking about a speaker coming to the school. Though, she already knew who it was. Frowning, she wondered if she should tell anyone that it was her father that was coming to the school, or if she should keep it to herself. _'Though, I don't think anyone but Ryu would believe me…'_ thought Kazumi with a frown before shrugging to herself and went to her class.

Walking to the closet of the class, Kazumi set her bag on the hook as she hummed a soft tune under her breath. It was a song that she had heard a few times in her life and had wanted to try to sing it. But, she wasn't sure if she was ready to sing that song yet since it did seem to be a bit of a challenge for her since she's never practiced it.

"Hey Kazumi!" said a male's voice, causing the little girl to turn around and stare at him with her wide lavender coloured eyes. Standing in front of her was a boy with spiky black hair, green eyes and pale skin. His clothes were of a black shirt and white shorts with matching white sneakers. "Did you hear that there'll be a speaker at the school today?"

"Uh huh! I even know who it is." Kazumi said with a smile before she giggled. She'll keep it a secret until her father came to the school. It wouldn't do her any good if Ryu found out from her; he would just complain that she hadn't told him sooner. It wouldn't hurt to keep it to herself. It was best that she just pretended that nothing was going on for the time being. Grabbing her pink coat, she removed it and set it on the coat rack before she started to walk toward her table and listened to the teacher.

The teacher talked about adding some numbers or subtracting. It was difficult for her but the only thing she looked forward to was recess and her father speaking to the school. Otherwise, school was boring. Learning was boring and made her want to have a life similar to her father. She could live with most of what her father went through though not losing a parent part. Yawning, the little girl placed her cheek on her raised palm as she listened, feeling like she was close to passing out any minute.

Every day, it just seemed like the class got more boring each and every time she would come. It was just enough to the point where she wanted to have a clone attend class instead and her just staying home and doing nothing. Sadly, that wouldn't happen for her father or mother would know or find out since they also knew how to do that and her mom could easily sense or see chakra.

Yawning, Kazumi grabbed a lock of her blonde, blue tipped hair and started to braid the smooth lock of hair. It was as if this would be her only source of fun while she waited for class to get over and done with before the school's personal speaker comes in today. Though, that was if she was lucky and they didn't cancelled it or something.

"Bored Kazumi?" asked Ryu with a tilt of his head, and a faint blush on his cheeks. Though, Kazumi didn't know why he was blushing, all she noticed was that he was staring at him weird when he had asked that.

Sighing, Kazumi soon placed her face in both of her palms as she said "a bit, I sometimes feel like it's the same thing every day. Nothing interesting every happens." Frowning softly, the little girl just listened to the teacher. It just seemed that no matter what she does that nothing was going to stop the lesson. Sighing softly, the little girl just started to drift in and out.

* * *

"Okay class, it's time to finally see the speaker from the Namikaze Company." Said the teacher with a bright smile. Kazumi just smiled as she finally felt like she was free! Giggling, the little lavender eyed girl got in line with her fellow classmates and started to walk with them to the gymnasium. She wondered if her father would be cool and talk about all the neat things that goes on in the company. Giggling the blonde and blue haired girl smiled as they started to gather in the room with everyone else as they saw the stage already pulled out and the podium in the front center of the stage.

Kazumi looked around, wondering if she could see a hint of her father, though for some reason she doubted that he would be out in the open. Knowing him, he would do something flashy or have some kind of special entrance. Turning to Ryu, Kazumi calmly asked "will your parents join be with daddy today?"

Ever since Uncle Sasuke and Aunt Sakura joined the company, they had always been her father's 'left and right arms' with some of the paper work and of course with looking for more talented singers. Kazumi had a feeling that they would be here since her father did get excited when he was in front of a crowd. Must be the singer in him to make others happy with his music, even though he did try to keep 'Oturan Umaki' hidden deep within himself.

Soon, the lights started to dim, must be a sign that her father was going to appear. Looking on ahead at the stage, Kazumi saw some shadows moving in the background. One of course had long hair tied in a ponytail. Sure sign that were her Aunt Sakura, so that would make the other shadow Uncle Sasuke because of the hair style for it wasn't spiky like her father's. It was confusing as to where her father would appear. Wait… shadows? Dear god either he was going to appear in a puff of smoke from a smoke bomb or he was going to appear with a Shadow Clone. No wait… if he used a Shadow Clone then that would mean he wasn't really here at all in the first place. _'This is making my head hurt…'_ thought Kazumi with a sigh.

Suddenly, there was a puff of smoke rising from the center, the shadows that were at the sides coughed as if they hadn't expected that to have happened. Everyone started to panic, thinking that a fire had started. Kazumi though knew better, even from her spot, the smoke smelled too sweet to have been a fire. It was the special smoke bombs that her father used when making his grand entrances… though, that was what her mother had said.

Appearing from the smoke was a spiky haired figure, and soon the spot lights were on the man. A big grin was on his face as he scratched the back of his head. Looking at his clothes, it was a grey business suit with a black tie. Must be a clip on, since Kazumi knew, that her father always choked himself just trying to get one tied.

"Hey everyone, my name is Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. I'm the head of the Uzumaki-Namikaze Corporation. My company is to seek out talented singers and to help them sell their CD's and help them with anything for their tours." Calmly said Naruto as he started to go on with his speech. Though, when he had said his name, everyone in her class (minus Ryu) had turned and stared at her in stunned silence. Was it that hard to believe that she was really rich yet didn't show it?

"Now, if you turn your attention to the screen behind me, you'll see pictures of singers that have been working with our company since my father, Minato Namikaze had built it with his friend Hiashi Hyuuga." Said Naruto as he moved a bit to the side, looking up at the big screen as it started to show pictures. There were possibly hundreds of pictures of singers; it just goes to show that the company was in great business with how they treat the clients.

But what had shocked both Kazumi and Naruto was the one picture at the bottom of the screen. It was a picture of Naruto when he was Oturan Umaki. Naruto yelped from shock before turning to his left, and moved his index finger in a wiggling motion as if he was asking Uncle Sasuke to come over. "Sasuke, why is that picture in there?" asked Naruto, not knowing that the microphone was still on.

"You said to add pictures of the singers who were involved with the company. You may not have been signed on as Oturan Umaki but you were still part of the company. Just relax Naruto."

"How can I relax when that picture is up there? You know I'm not Oturan anymore."

"Naruto, just relax about that, and panic about the fact that everyone can hear us."

"What?"

Naruto turned back to the people in the crowd and gave a nervous chuckle. Straightening himself back up, he walked to the podium as he said "anyway, these are all the clients that my company has helped over the years. Many of them are still very good clients with us, and we always get recommend other singers or bands to the company." He once again started to get into a long speech. To be honest, Kazumi had half hoped for something more interesting to happen during her father's speech but so far, nothing funny happened other than her father's chat with Uncle Sasuke.

Kazumi thought that this whole day was going to be boring…

"Okay, does anyone have questions? Yes you in the back there."

"Yeah… uh… how come you're not Oturan anymore?" asked a little girl.

Naruto sighed, as if he knew those questions were coming. Not that Kazumi blamed anyone, those who did believe that her father had been Oturan had always wondered why he didn't do as many live performances as he used to. Turning to the little girl, her father calmly said "to be honest, I had to reclaim my father's company, and I had a family I wanted to be around in person, rather than be separated from them."

"If you were Oturan Umaki, why don't you sing for everyone then huh?!" shouted a boy who was possibly in fifth grade.

"I'm sorry but I don't have my guitar here with me right now."

"How did you get the name Oturan Umaki?"

Naruto just chuckled. He always found that kind of a question funny. Kazumi knew though… she remembered the story that her father told her. He didn't want to be found by anyone at the company so he had changed his name into something that no one would suspect, or that he would hope no one would have suspected at all in the least. Naruto calmly said "I took my first name and just spelled it backwards, and then I took my mother's maiden name, Uzumaki, and removed the Z and the U to make it 'Umaki'." Checking his watch, Naruto frowned a bit as he said "okay, I have time for one last question… uh… okay one of the teachers."

"Yes… I have a question about the black haired man next to you… is he single?" asked one of the female teachers.

Just as that question was asked, Sakura went to attack the teacher. Naruto had acted quickly and wrapped his arms around the enraged pink haired woman's waist and tried to pull her away. "Gotta go everyone, Sasuke, answer that question please while I deal with Sakura!" With that, Naruto dragged Sakura out of the room, who also just so happened to have been screaming about killing the woman who tried to steal her Sasuke away from her.

Meanwhile, Sasuke went to the podium as he answered "to answer the last question, I'm happily married and the pink haired woman is my wife. Good day everyone." With that said and done, Sasuke started to walk away. The only other sound in the room was the whine from the teacher who had wanted Sasuke. What could make this day any stranger?

* * *

"Hey, Kazumi… that was your dad on stage right? The blonde haired man?" asked a girl with a smug look on her face. Kazumi remembered her; it was Miyoko, the girl who thought that she was better than everyone in the class. For as long as she could remember, Miyoko always tried to make Kazumi's life terrible, trying to get Ryu to turn against her, or trying to make all of her art work look horrible. She took every chance she could to make her life a living nightmare.

"And if he was?" said Kazumi with a frown.

Miyoko just smirked all the more. This couldn't be good, not at all. She calmly yet smugly said "I bet you can't be a singer like him. From what I heard, he was an amazing singer before taking over his father's company." Okay, so that part was true, her father was an amazing singer, he still is even though he didn't travel anymore for his gigs but used some of his time to teach kids how to play or to spend time with his family.

"I can sing like he can!" shouted Kazumi.

"Then prove it." said Miyoko.

Kazumi normally never lets Miyoko get to her but, well… when it comes to singing, that was where she drew the line. No matter what she talks about, or tries to do about her skills, singing is the one thing that she won't let anyone insult. She was a good singer, her parents told her that much! Taking a deep breath, Kazumi could think the song playing within her mind as she started to sing.

_My heart is beating, my heart is racing  
Faster, louder when you're near  
It drives me crazy when you look at me  
With those pretty eyes_

_I want to come closer  
But you might just walk away  
Say hello, don't tell a lie or I'll say goodbye, my love!_

Though, she didn't get far in the song for, someone had a bucket filled with red paint and tossed it over her. Kazumi stared with wide eyes at what had happened. Why would they… Staring at Miyoko, she saw that the grinning girl just laughed. Tears started to fill Kazumi's eyes, the smell of paint caused her nose to burn, her eyes to sting. But, for once Miyoko's words started to hurt… like a knife hit her heart.

"You're no singer Kazumi. You'll NEVER be the singer your daddy is no matter how much you so wish it. You'll never be a singer, NEVER!"


	3. Chapter 3

_Ever since that day, I refused to sing for anyone. My parents have been worried about me when I told them I didn't want to sing anymore. That I had no true talent for it, so I tried to find something else to put my free time into. But nothing stuck with me, for I would fail at everything that I tried. It seemed that I had no true talent. Maybe I would grow up to be nothing… maybe, I would never live up to what people expect me to be as my father's daughter._

Kazumi didn't know what to do as she walked from school and on her way home. Ever since that day, she just hadn't been able to sing anymore. It was as if she had become nothing but a shell of her former self. The little girl just couldn't deal with the pain of people calling her names or saying that she would forever remain in her father's shadow. Even though it had been years since Miyoko had transferred for that incident it still stung and caused her heart to ache.

Singing had been a part of her life, and being told all of that… it had caused her to quit all of her singing lessons and classes. What was the point of singing if you were no good at it? Rubbing her arms, Kazumi could still recall the events of that day. No matter how long it's been, the day was still fresh in her mind.

_Kazumi stared at Miyoko with wide lavender eyes. The snotty girl laughed after her harsh words have been said. The more Kazumi looked around, the more she saw that everyone was laughing with her. There wasn't a single person who wasn't laughing. Well, there was one but he wasn't here for her… he had ran off after the pain had been tossed at her, covering her small body in the thick red substance._

_"Aw look at her, she's about to cry like a baby!" shouted Miyoko with a smirk._

_Kazumi tried her hardest not to shed a single tear. Knowing that if she did, that Miyoko would have won and would only torment her all the more. But, she couldn't help it as the laughing only continued. In fact, the laughter seemed to have increased and grew in volume. She wanted to run and hide, she wanted to cover her face to stop the flow of tears as they started to prickle behind her eyes._

_She wanted to get as far away from here as possible. Though it seemed that her feet were frozen to the ground. It was as if their laughter was enchanted with a magic spell that would cause the victim to remain in their place._

_"Look at her, she's so upset she's all 'red' from the sadness!" said Miyoko with a laugh before shoving Kazumi to the ground. Kazumi yelped when she had been shoved to the ground, her palms her tried to grasp at the air that was around her but that was only futile. Twisting her body around, the little girl tried to stop her fall by holding her arms around to push the ground away from her. But instead, her palms grazed the hard concrete and caused the skin to rip and tare._

_Whimpering from the pain, Kazumi looked at her palms and saw that blood started to ooze from the open wound on her palms. It was enough to make her want to cry more, but she held that to herself._

_Sniffling, Kazumi turned and saw that Miyoko now held stones in her hands. Oh no… Kazumi knew what she was going to do now. She was going to- "Get her!" shouted Miyoko as she started to throw the stones at her._

_Screaming and crying out in pain, Kazumi tried to get herself up but the force of the rocks were strong enough to have pushed her back down. Though, the hit to the head was what really caused her to fall over. Kazumi tried to ignore the pain, tried to get herself up once more as she tried to ignore their laughter, the pain both in body and her heart._

_Kazumi soon felt something slam on her back, causing her to gasp out in pain and shock. Looking up with wide eyes, Kazumi saw Miyoko holding a rock the size of a baseball. It was clear to Kazumi; Miyoko suffers from some kinds of fits of rage that would consume her to act like this. And of course, have followers follow her every command. "Today, I'll get my revenge on you Kazumi."_

_"What did I ever do to you!?"_

_"You have everything I want! Money, power, and fame! I deserve that! Not some useless nobody like you! Your money, your fame, your power should all be MINE!" shouted Miyoko as she got ready to slam the stone's sharp edge into Kazumi's head. Kazumi tightly shut her eyes, waiting for the pain to come. Just waiting for it all to come and get over with. So, Kazumi waited…_

_Waited…_

_Waited…_

_And waited…_

_But nothing happened, instead Miyoko's voice caused her to open her eyes and look up, and saw someone's hand holding Miyoko's wrist... "What are you doing?!" shouted Miyoko as she stared into the angry eyes of a very pissed off Naruto. Miyoko just glared as she said "who the heck do you think you are?!" glared Miyoko as she just sent Naruto daggers with her gaze. Though, her gaze didn't break down Naruto's defence. Tightly closing his eyes, Naruto tried to get himself to calm down; Kazumi knew what happened if he was too angry and at his breaking point… she knew…_

_"I could say that to you. Just what gives you the right to hurt my daughter!?" Naruto growled out, just as he opened his eyes Miyoko yelped and staggered back after having her wrist freed from Naruto's small death hold. For once Naruto had opened his eyes, they were bright red, though did not have the snake slit pupils. Yet. But Kazumi it was only a matter of time until his anger reached new heights. Taking a deep breath, Naruto saw the fear in all the children, but mostly Miyoko when he had shifted his gaze back to her. "Again, I ask you what gave you the right to hurt my daughter?!" Naruto asked, his voice a little calmer sounding._

_Miyoko just glared at Naruto, her gaze hard as stone. Which, to be honest was amazing since Kazumi had only seen glares like that from adults like her grandfather Hiashi when he was dealing with some snobby guitarist. The little girl just growled out "I'm teaching her a lesson! She has everything and doesn't deserve it! It should be given to someone who really deserves it!"_

_Naruto just raised an eyebrow at the little girl. It still confused Kazumi deeply for Miyoko's behaviour for even she had a lot of things that most kids didn't have. The only thing that she was going to get was her father's company when she was old enough._

_Naruto growled, revealing his fangs to the children. "I'm going to have a nice chat with your parent's young lady." He said before picking up Kazumi and held her in his arms as he started to walk away. Kazumi knew… just knew that her father was beyond angry, that he wanted to beat and punch something to let his anger and frustration out but kept it deep in himself until he could get home to his personal gym and beat on his punching bag… until it had been ripped apart._

_"Kazumi, I'm sorry… I promise that nothing will hurt you ever again," whispered Naruto._

_Kazumi had a feeling that, that her father's promise wasn't going to be kept. After all, the damage had already been done. She won't sing anymore if she had no true talent for it._

Kazumi never really understood why Miyoko attacked her. But what she was happy for was that Miyoko had been transferred to a new school that could help her with her anger problems. Sighing softly, the little girl looked around the area and frowned in confusion. She's never been in this part of town before… Oh dear, was this the place that her father warned her about?

Looking around some more, now with fear in her lavender eyes she tried to turn around to make a mad dash for it. But just as she was about to make a break for it, someone had grabbed her forearm and pulled her into the alley, she let out a small scream thinking that she was going to get attacked or worse. Dear lord she didn't even want to think about what could happen to her right now. All she knew was that she was terrified about what was going to happen to her now.

"Who are you and why are you on my turf?" said a voice, causing Kazumi to notice that the darkness that had clouded her vision… was her own eyelids. When she opened her eyes, standing there was a boy, possible only a year or two older than she was. What she could make out in the darkness was his ink black hair, his bright yellow eyes and his slightly tanned skin. At least, she thinks it's tanned; it was a little hard to tell what colour his skin was.

Gulping, Kazumi calmly said "I'm Kazumi I… I was just going home and… and I got lost! Please don't hurt me!" Even though this guy looked like he was close to her age, Kazumi knew better than to just go on looks alone. For it was normally the ones you least expect to be evil, are evil.

"Your eyes…" whispered the boy with confusion. Was he trying to figure out why her eyes were like this? Or was it just because he just hasn't seen anyone with lavender coloured eyes before in his life? It would make some sense since the Hyuuga's tend to keep to themselves and not leave or be with anyone outside the clan other than her mother of course.

Struggling to get away, Kazumi slapped him across the face and tried to get away. But his grip never loosened. He held onto her as tightly as he could, making Kazumi think that she was going to have a bruise. "You aren't going anywhere." Kazumi was about to shout at him, saying that she had a right to go home, that she can't stay here and that if he doesn't let go she'll use some ninjutsu on him. Well, that is until what he had said next. "It isn't safe for a girl like you to walk home from here by yourself… I'll walk you out of this area… Come on."

Okay, that was something Kazumi hadn't expected from this guy. Though, she still couldn't fully trust him, her father had told her about this side of town. Telling her that everyone here would attack you for your money or beat you among other things.

Though for now, she was going to place her trust in him. Only for now, for if he does anything that even comes close to betraying her she was going to fight back. Taking a deep breath, Kazumi stared at him, her eyes finally having adjusted to the darkness. His clothes were a torn green t-shirt and torn blue jeans. They had to be old clothes for them to be in that shape. Even his sneakers were old and worn.

It was amazing that he was even able to move around in these clothes for to Kazumi, it looked like you'd get yourself caught in the holes that covered his outfit. Looking at him, Kazumi was still confused as to how his eyes were that shade of yellow… or were they a light gold colour? Shaking her head Kazumi followed the black haired boy. Maybe she would get home safe after all.

He gently let go of the lavender eyed girl's arm and gently grabbed her hand and started to walk away with her. Looking at him from the corner of her eye, Kazumi saw that he was kind of cute but… she shouldn't think that way. She had to get home before her parents started to get worried and go looking for her.

"Um… what's your name?" asked Kazumi, trying to start up a conversation. She had to say something before she went insane. Though, she didn't think he would tell her. Even though she had already told him her name, there was no way that she was going to tell her his name…

"It's Yamihebi…"

"Doesn't that mean Dark Snake or something?"

"Yeah, my mom liked snakes, she has a cage full of 'em at home even though I hoped that she get rid of them." Calmly said Yamihebi, though she could hear the disgust in his voice. Tilting her head, Kazumi figured that everyone or at least most people were named after some of their parent's interest. Like her name was surrounded by music with her parents being brought together by music and what not.

Kazumi looked up at Yamihebi as she said "what about your dad?" It had her confused that he would speak about his mother but not his father. Though, then again maybe he had been about to speak about his father but didn't have the time until she asked. Aw jeez, it's just so confusing…

"He died when I was two, so I don't have any memories of him. Though I don't think he was even around." He said with a shrug that had to be terrible. Kazumi knew both of her parents and would never wonder what life would have been like if she lost one of them. It was a terrible thing to think about.

"I'm sorry…"

"You don't have a reason to be sorry. Not like it's your fault."

Kazumi frowned; it still seemed bad that he only had his mother. Though, maybe he was just lonely, maybe that was why he had grabbed her besides wanting to make sure that she had left? Shaking her head, the little girl looked around the town, getting a better look at the city. The buildings were a little worn down, the streets had garbage around it and some of the light posts were knocked over. Frowning, she also saw that some of the newer buildings had graffiti on it. Just what kind of town was she in?!

"Sorry that this place isn't like where you came from." said Yamihebi with a sigh.

"You don't have a reason to be sorry. Not like it's your fault that you live here, like how it isn't my fault that I live on the other side of town. It can't be helped." Kazumi said with a calm voice, and stared at him with a calm yet gentle gaze.

Yamihebi stared at Kazumi with wide eyes. It was as if he hadn't expected her to say that though Kazumi wouldn't be sure why that would be. He seemed nice enough so why would he be surprised that she would say something like that? Boys were confusing… that was for sure. Taking a deep breath, Kazumi ran a hand through her hair hoping that would get her to relax. Suddenly, Kazumi heard Yamihebi's voice cut through her thoughts. "Is your hair naturally blonde and blue?"

"The blonde is from my dad, and the blue from my mother. Like how I have my mother's eyes and face." Kazumi said with a smile. She was happy to have some of her parent's looks though; sadly she didn't get any of her parent's talents.

"My mom told me I got most of my looks from my father. I don't know if I got anything else from him."

"Can't you ask your mom?"

"I did, but she said that I'm not ready to know anything else about him as of yet."

"Yamihebi!"

Both kids turned and saw a tall man with dark brown eyes and red hair with a black streak in it. Kazumi was a little frightened, thinking that this man was going to attack them. Either way, Yamihebi cursed to himself before tightening his hold on Kazumi and started to run. She yelped from shock as they ran through the city trying to get away. "What's going on?!" shouted Kazumi, a small hint of fear was in her voice.

"I owe that guy a lot of money, I sorta haven't been able to pay him since my paper route had to be changed recently. But right now, just shut up and run Kazumi!" shouted Yamihebi as he started to run faster. Kazumi didn't know how she was able to keep up with him. It was almost like when her father would go running, he sometimes ran faster than a normal human. Though, right now Kazumi knew that they had to keep running in order to get out of here. There was no way that they could stay here, she had to hurry up and get out of here before it was too late.

"Keep running Kazumi!" shouted Yamihebi.

"I am! But these shoes weren't made for running!" shouted Kazumi, hating that today she picked to wearing sandals. Curse her and her desire to wear sandals in summer.

Faster and faster they ran, she knew that this town was huge, there was no way of knowing how long it was going to take for them to get out of here. What if they didn't get out in time? What if they were caught and beaten to a pulp? Her parents wouldn't even know where to look for her and by the time they did find her that it would be too late. Just thinking about it had her scared for her life.

Suddenly, she felt a tug on her hand, causing her to yelp when they ran into another dark alley. Yamihebi held her close to his chest and covered her mouth with his hand. It was a sure sign that he needed her to be quite right now. Kazumi looked out into the light, happy that they were far enough in the darkness that they would stay hidden. Though, it didn't stop Kazumi from being so afraid of the man that had been chasing them.

The man walked over to the alley, his head twisting to the left and right as if he was looking for something. Well, okay he was looking for something, or she should say some_one_ since he was hunting down Yamihebi for some money, and her because she was with him. Oh how she hated just waiting… Maybe that was something she got from her father. If he was sitting around doing nothing for too long that she would go insane.

"Damn it he got away again," said the man before walking away.

Kazumi and Yamihebi both sighed in relief. Feeling the black haired boy's grip on her loosen, she pulled herself away from Yamihebi before walking out of the alley with him. Looking around, the blonde haired girl saw that no one else was around other than them. Maybe she could get home after all. Smiling, Kazumi turned around as she asked "are we far from getting out of here?"

"Not too far. Come on, we're almost there." Answered Yamihebi.

* * *

Okay, so it was further than she thought it was. Kazumi's feet were killing her from walking for so long. Though, at least she knew her way home from here. Looking up at the sky, she saw where the sun was, and saw just how late it was. Her parents had to be looking for her right about now. Sighing softly, Kazumi turned and saw Yamihebi; his eyes seemed to shine with a strange sadness. Like he was sad about seeing the city, why that was she couldn't really say.

"Do… do you want me to come back?" asked Kazumi, hoping that she could cheer him up.

"It's best that you don't come here. There is no telling what would happen if someone else had found you instead of me." He said with a sad sigh. Yamihebi had wanted her to come back, she could see it in his face but he was concerned for her safety. It was that easy to see for the most part. Before she could walk over to him, someone had appeared behind him, and this woman appeared angry.

"Son, who is this?"

"Uh… a friend? I was just sending her home mom."

"She has the Hyuuga eyes… yet, not the hair colour." Said the woman. She had the same eyes as Yamihebi, though her hair was brown and pulled back in a bun, and she wore a black blouse with a matching skirt. She must have been something like her parents, though Kazumi couldn't be sure for the time being. But what she did know was that this woman wasn't what she appeared to be. The little girl grabbed Kazumi by her shirt as she said "what's your last name brat."

Kazumi didn't answer, she was afraid, afraid that this woman was going to hurt her or worse, hurt Yamihebi or even her family. It was easy to see that this woman knew about the Hyuuga's if she could figure it out from her eyes.

"Let go of my daughter!" shouted a new voice.

Kazumi turned her head and stared with relief when she saw not only her father, but her mother, Uncle Sasuke and Aunt Sakura. Did they all come looking for her? Dear god, she was so happy to see them right now. "Mom, dad!" Kazumi said with relief though a small hint of fear.

"So Uzumaki-san, this girl is your brat huh? Who would have thought you had it in you to have a child." Said the woman with a smirk. Kazumi struggled, though only did the only thing that came to mind. She bit the woman's wrist which, had resulted in her letting go of Kazumi's shirt and ran over to her parents. "Ouch you brat!"

Naruto picked up Kazumi and held her in his arms. His eyes were soft and held the inner relief of seeing her safe. Though there was something else in his eyes that Kazumi couldn't figure out. Was it fear? If that was the case, why would he be scared? What could frighten her father so much? Looking over her shoulder, Kazumi saw the strange look in Yamihebi's eyes, not sure what it was either for it was an emotion that she's never seen before.

"So you're still around huh Yuki…" said Naruto with a growl, his eyes flashing red in his anger.

"Yes, and to think… you took the company from a fine man. Oh wait, you killed him."

"Orochimaru killed my father and tried to kill me with him! I just took back what was mine and I didn't kill him, he fell!"

"Say it all you want, I know the truth. Orochimaru was a good man, and I will take back the company and give it to Yamihebi, he deserves it, not you or your brat daughter." Said Yuki with a smirk. Even Kazumi could tell that she had something hidden in her mind, a plan that would get what she wanted. Though, what had confused Kazumi the most, was why was she after her father's company when she knew that it had belonged to her grandfather and no one named 'Orochimaru'… this was all so strange…

Naruto tightened his hold on Kazumi. It was as if he was trying to shield her from an incoming danger. Was this woman dangerous or was it only just her thinking this? Gulping, Kazumi held onto her father, hoping to hide herself within his clothes like when she was little but instead of clothes, she used to hide under a blanket.

"You'll never have the company Yuki." Said Hinata with a glare, which was rare from her mother. Kazumi had never seen her mother angry before though she knew that it would have to be bad for her to be this angry.

Yuki just laughed as she said "just wait Naruto, Hinata… just you all wait and see!" she laughed like a crazy person before picking up her son and started to walk away. For some reason, Kazumi felt like something big was coming in her future…


	4. Chapter 4

_I didn't know what was going on, but I knew… just knew that Yuki was after my company and maybe, she was going to try to get Kazumi. I knew that I had to keep my daughter safe. I cannot allow her to be involved with that boy. If he was the son of who I think he was, then there would be nothing but danger for my only daughter. There was no way that I was going to let that happen. Not ever._

Naruto couldn't help but sit in his study staring at the photo album that his mother made years ago. All the pictures were of him, his mother, his father and everyone at the company. The pictures started out when the company was first built, before it turned into that deserted building where he received his scar. Just thinking about that building made his scar burn terribly. Shaking his head, Naruto flipped through the pages, saw a picture of his parents when he was born…

They looked so happy to see him be born.

The young man couldn't help but stare at the picture of his dad. It had been so long since he had seen or spoken to him. Unless you could count the time Naruto saw his spirit at his wedding. Either way, he knew that he would never see his dad again, he would never hear his voice giving him advice on what he could do.

For, Naruto feared that history would repeat itself, and that his daughter would only fall into a greater fall of depression. Ever since he saw her being tormented by her classmates, Kazumi had changed. She didn't like singing anymore; she was withdrawn and hid inside her own body just to hide from the pain and words that had to have been said by that girl.

Leaning back into his seat, Naruto had spoken to the girl's parents recently, wondering if she had changed her ways. And, from what had been said, her actions have changed drastically. She wasn't the same girl that tormented his daughter; rather she was a kind and sweet girl. That was a little strange to the blonde haired man… how could someone changed that much in such a short amount of time? Sighing softly, Naruto figured that he would never truly know.

Looking back down at the photo album, he stared at the pictures of when he and Hinata were children. Happy times though he saw that he wasn't as happy in those pictures as he was before getting the scar. It almost seemed like he grew more serious than he's ever been until that point in his life. Smiling gently at Hinata's smiling yet blushing face, he couldn't help but remember just how beautiful she was back then, just as much so as she is now.

Flipping another page, Naruto saw a picture of after he had returned. It was a simple picture, just with him having his arm around Hinata's waist; her pulled close against his chest and his mother in the background with a big grin on her face. It was a good day, it was the day that Naruto had not only returned to his home and took the company, but it was also the day he had found out the truth. That he hadn't been the cause of his father's murder, that it had been Orochimaru. Someone who had wanted his father's company since the day it had been built.

The man went as far as to try to kill them both but had failed to kill him. Instead, he had settled for killing his father and tried to get him to believe that it had been him that killed his own dad. Just thinking about it made pain enter his heart.

_'No matter how much time goes by, I still miss you dad…'_ thought Naruto with a sad sigh. Turning the page, he smiled softly when he saw a picture of him, Hinata and Kazumi. It was taken when Kazumi had just turned one, her eyes were closed and her face was a little red from trying to blow out the candle on her birthday cake. It was so cute that was for sure. If he remembered right, it was his mother that took the picture.

Giving a small smile, Naruto flipped through some of the pictures, just happy to see the memories that came with each of the images. Sighing softly, he set the book down and pulled out another photo album. One that he had made Sasuke and Sakura when they were in a band. Well, he should say in a band and pretty much on tour. It was hard to believe that he had ever been a red head since it wasn't his natural hair colour, though the more he thought about it the more it made him wonder if maybe it had been from Kurama's influence that had caused his hair to change colour like it had.

The more he looked at the pictures, the more he saw the deep emotional pain that was coursing through his heart. It was almost hard to believe that he was once so sad and in so much pain. But now, he's happy… well, happy and worried. "I don't make sense." Muttered Naruto as he closed the book and set it aside. Right now, he had to focus on his daughter and wife. Had to make sure that they were safe and that they stayed that way.

Looking up at the clock, Naruto saw that he still had some time on his hands. Hinata didn't normally start cooking for at least another hour so maybe he could get a song finished before he went to have dinner with his family.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto grabbed some blank pages and started to write some music notes on it. Hoping that it would turn into a great song. Maybe writing a song would get him to relax, it was something to do after all. Though, would it be enough to get his worries to fade from his mind? The more he thought about it, the more his mind kept going back to that boy.

The hair… the eyes… the pale skin. All of them were traits that Orochimaru had, was that boy… was that boy really his son? If that was true, why didn't he stay to raise his son instead of going after Naruto's mother? That didn't make a lick of sense to him and yet, it was just hard not to believe that that boy was really Orochimaru's son. Dropping his pencil, Naruto lied his head on his desk, damn it… if he really was Orochimaru's son… and he believed his mother's words that he really did kill the bastard… there was a good chance that he was going to try to kill him to get revenge. _'Why can't things get any easier for me?'_ thought Naruto with a groan.

Sighing, the blonde young man scratched at the back of his head as he tried to think on what he could do to help his family. To prevent a war from happening so to speak. "Damn it I'm not making sense!" shouted Naruto before slamming his fist into his desk… and snapping it in half. "Damn my demon strength!" That was the fourth desk this month! Sasuke and Sakura will have a fit because he knew for sure that they took the role of 'being angry' when he broke something since Hinata didn't have a mean bone in her body.

Sighing softly, he started to remove everything from his desk before making a quick call for someone to bring in a new desk from him. He couldn't call his usual furniture store since he figured that they were starting to get suspicious about his desks 'mysteriously breaking on him'.

A knock echoed through the small room, causing Naruto to turn around. "Come in." he called out, wondering who would be coming to visit him. Sure it hadn't been a half an hour since he started to write the song so he figured that it must be Hinata. Though, what he hadn't expected was to see Kazumi. She looked a little scared, like just being in here would bring her trouble. Frowning, the young man walked over to his daughter and picked her up. No matter how big she gets, she wasn't heavy at all… "Hey Kazumi, what's wrong? Need to tell dad something?" asked Naruto.

"Dad… why did you and mom look so mad at Yamihebi and his mom?" asked Kazumi as she stared at her father with those big round lavender eyes of hers. Should he tell her? Could he tell his daughter that, that boy's father was the reason that her grandfather wasn't alive? Sure, she didn't know him but still… from all the stories that he had told her about his own father, she adored her grandfather so much just as much as she does with her grandmother and parents. How can he tell his daughter that his dad is dead because of this 'Yamihebi's' father?

Maybe, it was best that he told her… it was the only way… for maybe if she knew the truth than maybe she will stay away from them. It will keep her safe… at least he hoped so. Sitting down on his desk chair, Naruto leaned back with Kazumi on his lap as he tried to think on the right words that would be used for this kind of situation. _'Please god let this story be enough to protect my daughter…'_ thought Naruto, hoping that this would protect his daughter from any and all harm.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto started to tell his daughter the story of his father, and Orochimaru.

"My father was a good man, he built the company with your grandfather Hiashi and someone named Orochimaru. After the company was built, both of your grandfather's started to lose their trust in Orochimaru, thinking that he wanted the company for himself." He looked down at his daughter, wondering if she was listening… she was. Her eyes were wide with innocents, it almost made Naruto want to stop telling the story but, he knew that he had too. For her safety and her future…

So, he kept going with the story. "After me and your mother was born, my father started to see the changes in Orochimaru. Orochimaru started to… act strange. He would always sneak around, he would disappear for hours at a time and when he would return, he was covered in dirt and he would just have this strange smile on his face." Sinking into his seat some, he added "what we didn't know… was that he had been secretly planning to get rid of me and my father so he could take over the company."

"But why dad?" asked Kazumi with confusion in her voice. Looking up at the ceiling for a moment, Naruto tried to think, tried to remember why Orochimaru wanted the company for himself. He wasn't entirely sure himself, unless…

"I think he just wanted power and money. And the company had both, though he couldn't have the company unless something was to happen to me and my father since your mother couldn't get the company until she and I were married." Holding Kazumi closer, he tried to think of the words carefully when he explained the next parts of the story, it was almost hard for him to keep going with the story, as if the further he got into the story, the more he could hear the screams of his childhood.

"Orochimaru tried to get rid of me and your mother by sending us into an old building. It was the original cooperation building before they had it remade into the music school. The building was so old that no one else went in there… he had hired someone to kill me and your mom. The only thing I got from there was a scar."

"This one?" asked Kazumi as she pointed to the scar that started over her father's eye and ran over his nose and stopping just a little above his cheek.

"Yup, this is the scar I got from protecting your mom. My dad was pretty mad at me though for going in there." He smiled a bit before letting out a soft sigh. "When I turned ten, Orochimaru had a plan to get rid of both me, and my dad. He had me wait outside for some kind of present and I was attacked. I thought that I was done for; I had thought that I was going to die there. That was when my dad came and saved me, he told me to run and well… that was the last time I saw him alive."

"What do you mean dad?" asked Kazumi with confusion.

Naruto bit his lower lip, afraid to tell Kazumi the most gruesome part of the story. Sure, it was to keep her safe but he should keep part of that to himself. Soon, his gaze went to Kazumi as he just stared at her. Was it possible to keep… damn it he feels like a broken record. Just rethinking the same thing over and over again! Damn, he was amazed that Hinata married with him with the way he's been lately.

"My father had been shot…" Kazumi stared with wide eyes, as if she didn't want to believe that. Naruto couldn't blame her, to her, her grandfather had been a great man that didn't seem to have had enemies. Though, he did even if he didn't really know it at the time until it had been too late. "I came back, and saw my father down on the ground… I had been afraid, and consumed with guilt. Thinking that it had been my fault that my father was dead. Orochimaru told me to run, run and never come back or I would pay the ultimate price. So I did…"

"What happened after that dad?" asked Kazumi.

Running a hand through his spiky locks, Naruto calmly said "I spent ten years in hiding. I took a new name, had a new appearance just to make sure that I couldn't be found. When I was twenty, your mother came back into my life and we fell in love after spending a night together." Sighing softly, Naruto had a soft smile as he remembered the night he had with Hinata after being reunited with her. Though, there was no way that he would be able to tell Kazumi that he saw the spirit of his father after that date had ended with a little disagreement.

"After the date and I got home, I had decided to head on home… and get back the company from Orochimaru. After I returned… I saved my mom from getting killed and had been held down to the ground with a gun pointed to my head… it was also at that time that I had learned the truth."

"The truth?"

"When Orochimaru gave details of my father's murder that I hadn't been aware of, and admitting to it afterwards I was filled with rage and chased him to the roof. I could have killed him, I could have but I didn't. Orochimaru tried to attack me and your mother when she followed me to the roof and… Orochimaru tripped and fell off the roof."

"So… he pretty much killed himself?"

"Yes, but from the looks of Yuki, she believes that I killed him."

Looking down at his daughter, Naruto didn't know what he was going to tell her, would she be more aware of her surroundings and stay away from Yuki and her son? Though, either way Naruto felt a little better knowing that his daughter knew the truth though… he knew that he would have to help relax his daughter. Holding her carefully in his arms, Naruto calmly said "I'm sorry that I told you this story Kazumi, but I just want you to be careful around them. I don't want you to get hurt or go through the same kind of pain that I had gone through at your age. Please, just stay safe and be careful."

Kazumi just nodded before looking up at her father with her wide lavender coloured eyes. Her eyes were filled with sadness and fear. Did she really think that he would be taken away from her like how his father had been taken away from him.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto calmly said "Kazumi, I'll tell you something that my dad told me when I was a child." Kazumi just frowned softly, wondering what her father could possibly tell him that would be so important for him to tell her. Naruto just smiled as he said "what I will tell you were something that my father had told me, his words were 'the stars are more than just stars. The stars are our souls Kazumi… when we're gone; our souls go to the sky so we can watch those we love. We're always watching, always wanting to protect those we left behind.'"

Kazumi blinked her wide eyes as she had listened to her father's words. This had been something that her grandfather had told her dad? That was an interesting tale but it made her wonder if it was even true or not. If her father really believed that her grandfather was really watching over them. Though for now, she would accept that for her answer.

Smiling up at her father, Kazumi kissed his cheek before getting off his lap and skipping out of the room. Naruto just smiled at Kazumi, hoping, praying that the story would keep her safe though for some reason, he felt like something was going to happen and that no matter what he wouldn't be able to prevent it. Either that or he was just really hungry.

"Time for some ramen," said Naruto with a smile before getting up from his chair and leaving his study to make something for him to snack on before Hinata's done cooking dinner.


	5. Chapter 5

_Today's my first day of grade ten. I'll finally be able to do what I want in high school though; I couldn't help but wonder what I could do in my spare time. Most of the extra activities that the school had but I couldn't do. I couldn't allow anyone to see what I could do, such as the ninja skills that my father and mother had been teaching me. If it got out, there would be a good chance that people would ask me how I did that or ask for me to teach them._

_This was something that I couldn't do. For if I do, there would be a chance that I'd get into a lot of trouble. Though, what I hadn't expected, was to see the first performance of the school band of that year…_

Kazumi sighed softly as she got out of bed and started to drag herself to her closet. She knew that grade ten was going to be a hell of a thing to go through though at least it only meant that she had finished yet another year of school and had so many more to go through. Looking out the window, Kazumi saw that it was a beautiful day out, so she wouldn't need anything too heavy to wear unless it was one of those chilly mornings.

Yawning into the back of her hand, the young woman pulled out some clothes that she thought would look nice for the first day of school. Looking at the clothes, she saw that she had picked out a short light purple dress that would most likely just look like an oversized shirt but it fit her perfectly. The dress was long enough to reach her thighs and the dress didn't have sleeves though it worked for the short black jacket that only reached the center of her ribcage and the sleeves reached her elbows. Reaching over to her bed, she pulled the long black tights that she had picked out and pulled them on over her long thin legs.

Looking herself in the mirror, Kazumi's long blonde and blue tipped hair was long though not as long as her mother's. Her hair only reached the middle of her back while her mother's had grown a little longer over the course her life. Her face was fair skinned like that of her mother's, as were her eyes. The only thing she got from her father was the blonde in her hair while the ends of her hair remained the same shade of blue like her mother's. She only seemed to have her mother's traits, not a single one of her fathers was with her, just the blonde…

"And not the one I really wanted…" she whispered to herself before walking out of her bedroom and went to brush her teeth, her hair before tying it at the nape of her neck and heading on down the stairs. Maybe if she was lucky, her mom made some bacon and eggs. That was her favourite meal to have plus it didn't leave much of a mess on her clothes like pancakes or waffles would even if those were her favourite breakfast foods of all time. Well, besides ramen and cinnamon rolls of course. Once she got to the bottom of the stairs, Kazumi's keen sense of smell picked up the scent of bacon, and that could only mean it was what she had wanted. Smiling brightly, the young woman giggled before taking a seat at the table with her dad.

"So Kazumi, excited for today?" asked her dad.

"Sorta… I'm a little nervous." Answered Kazumi with a nervous blush on her face and twiddling her fingers together. A sure sign that she had gotten that from her mother, not that she didn't mind that of course. Looking up at her father, Kazumi tilted her head as she asked "you okay though dad? You seem nervous about something…" She wasn't sure if her father was going to answer her or anything. He stared at his daughter with his nervous blue eyes only to chuckle slightly. Maybe he was going to answer her after all.

"Just got some new singers coming in wanting to see 'Oturan Umaki' in action. No matter how many times I tell them that he doesn't sing anymore."

"But dad, you still sing…"

"Yes, but not as 'Oturan Umaki'."

"True…"

Kazumi looked up at her mom as she started to set down breakfast for everyone. No matter how many years had passed, her parents looked the same. Not a trace of aging had seemed to hit them yet. Kazumi wondered if it was just a natural trait or something, and it made her wonder if it was something that she would get later on in her life or if her parents were just that young in the first place. Smiling at her meal, Kazumi happily started to eat her meal.

"Kazumi do you need a ride?" asked Hinata after sitting down at the table.

"No thanks mom. I'll have a nice walk." She said with a smile before starting to eat her toast as she dipped it into the yokes. The best part of the eggs has always, always been the yokes. Though, she couldn't help but wonder what school was going to be like this year. There was really no way of knowing at this point though maybe it would be an interesting year for her with a club that she could really enjoy.

Once her meal was done, Kazumi grabbed her light purple backpack and headed toward the door where she grabbed her black heeled sandals before walking out the door. She could faintly hear her parents wishing her a good day at school and she of course tried to smile for them. Knowing fully well that she wouldn't have a good day, it never was when she didn't have a lot of friend's. Her only friend was Ryu Uchiha and he doesn't get the hint that she doesn't like him in the same way as he likes her.

"School will be boring this year like it is every year…" whispered Kazumi before walking down the street.

* * *

Kazumi yawned into the back of her hand as she walked into the school. Sometimes, school just started too early but at least she had somewhere to go for a change besides just going to her dad's company. Sure, it was to be hers one day but she didn't want to spend her whole life there and wants to have fun now and again.

Looking at her time table, the teenaged girl saw that she still didn't have class for another hour. So that gave her some time to check out where her classes were. "Not the funniest thing but at least it's better than nothing," mumbled Kazumi before she started to walk on around the school.

Looking at her time table, she saw the number of her class, and then she looked up at the doors and saw the numbers. So far, she wasn't even close to getting to her first class, or at least to its location. "Hm…" Kazumi frowned as she followed the numbers as she walked down the hall, thinking that maybe she would be able to get to class early and just figure out where the rest of her classes are later. Though there wasn't really any way of knowing if it would be enough to figure out if she would even be able to find her classes during the break between classes with how big this school was.

Running a hand through her loose bangs, Kazumi tried to think on what kind of after school activity she should do. Or at least something that she would be able to do due to her lack of talent. Sighing, Kazumi knew that she should stop doubting herself, but she just couldn't help it… it was as if it had become second nature to her, and it had her almost too afraid to stop. It was as if she stopped, that she would feel like she would have nothing else to cling to. She had no talent, she knew that and yet if she stopped admitting that then she would fall apart from the stress that had built over her.

Shaking her head, the teenager walked over to the bulletin board as she saw that her class wasn't that far from her now. That would give her enough time to look over the bulletin board, only to blink when she heard something. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the gymnasium and frowned a little. Was that music? Carefully, Kazumi walked over to the gymnasium, not wanting to interrupt them while they practiced or whatever it was that the person or people were doing.

Carefully, Kazumi opened the door a crack as she frowned softly. She could faintly see people on the stage, all three of them had instruments and two of them had been tuning from what she could see, a base guitar and a guitar, sort of like the one her dad has.

The one boy that was behind a set of drums had short blonde hair with a lock of it died black that was at the side of his head. She could faintly see that he wore a black short sleeved collared shirt with a red and black stripped tie though she could also faintly see that under his shirt were long black and white stripped sleeves that reached his knuckles that also seemed to have supported as gloves. Kazumi didn't think that she would be able to tell what his pants were that is, until he had rose to his feet to go help someone that was hidden in the darkness of the gym, since only a few lights were on. His pants were black with multiple straps around his pant legs with white trim, and then finally he wore simple white sneakers.

The girl that had been tuning a base guitar her hair was short with a little curl at the end and was bleached blonde, she wore a purple shirt with a short leather jacket that reached under the bust line and the sleeves reached her wrists. She also wore a pair of thigh cut off shorts. The pant legs were baggy though were held up by straps that were attached to the short shorts of the pants. Around the right thigh of the cut off pant legs were three buckles, and around her waist, seemed to be a belt that also served to have something like a half of a skirt to hang just a little past the left thigh. At the bottom of the left thigh were white snakes coiling up just making its way just a little under the knee. And finally, to complete her outfit were, from what she could see a pair of those boots that makes the wearer look taller than they really were.

She couldn't fully see the other guy that was in the room, he was covered by the shadows though… the sounds of footsteps echoed through the area. Was he moving toward the stage now? Squinting her eyes, Kazumi could see the other member of this… could she call them a band? Anyway, he had long straight black hair. It was tied back in a tight ponytail though his bangs which, hung a bit over his eyes had been died a deep crimson. His clothes were that of a white t-shirt, a long black sleeveless jacket that reached the floor, camouflaged pants with many straps wrapped around them and finally black boots with gold studs going up the one side of them. What Kazumi had noticed, was the black blindfold over his eyes.

_'Why does he wear a blindfold?'_ asked Kazumi with confusion... She didn't know who these people were, but assumed that they had been transfer students or something since she didn't remember seeing them last year.

"Ready?" said the teen with the blindfold. She wasn't sure how, but he pulled out a flute when he seemed to have somehow 'seen' them nod their heads. With that, he started to play the flute, not sure how that has anything to do with the way their band looked. They seemed like some kind of hard core band or punk band, either way, a flute doesn't match the way they're dressed!

The two just stood there, as if they were waiting for something. What could they possibly be waiting for? Was it something big? Was there more to this song than what was being let on or was it something more? Just before she could get anything else to think of, the other two people started to play their instruments, and the blindfolded teen threw away the flute as he too started to play.

_Sky became darker when the news there came  
His cruel father was coming too fast  
Leaving behind him cancer and sorrow  
So satisfying his thirst for vengeance  
It's time to call the wisdom of the wind  
The whisper of the shadows  
The sword and the shield the power of the steel  
To win the mask of Hell_

The blindfold teen stepped toward the microphone as he started to sing. It was odd, the song at first didn't sound like a song that a punk band would play but now? It really did, the lyrics seemed to have some kind of deeper meaning or something. Kazumi couldn't really tell for sure though what she did know was that he was really good.

_FACE THE KING, RIDE THE WIND  
FOR THE LEGEND OF STEEL  
LEAVE DARK HELL BEHIND YOU FOREVER  
FACE THE KING, RIDE THE WIND  
FOR THE LEGEND OF STEEL  
BREAK THE CHAINS OF THE PAST FOREVER  
FACE THE KING_

As he sang, he moved his head causing his bangs to flutter from side to side, showing more of his face. Kazumi couldn't help but think that she had seen him somewhere before but she just couldn't think of where it had been. Though what she did know, was that he really did handle a band very well, it made her think of the videos that she had seen when her father was in a band as a teenager to a young adult.

_And so the day came... son against father  
Clash of their weapons at the crash of thunder  
Hard was the fight in that unholy night  
So red the ice was never  
The sword and the shield the power of the steel  
To win the mask of Hell_

Kazumi felt like his words had some kind of meaning, like how the songs that her father did always some kind of hidden meaning. Like the songs that he played when he was a teenager, the songs he would play had been born from the emotions that had been stirring in his heart. Was it the same for this guy or was it just with certain artists?

_FACE THE KING, RIDE THE WIND  
FOR THE LEGEND OF STEEL  
LEAVE DARK HELL BEHIND YOU FOREVER  
FACE THE KING, RIDE THE WIND  
FOR THE LEGEND OF STEEL  
BREAK THE CHAINS OF THE PAST FOREVER  
FACE THE KING_

Kazumi could see how quickly he could strum the guitar; it was as if he had never had someone teach him in his life. It was sort of like that with her dad, though he had some people teach him. The way he strum the guitar was good otherwise, though still looked like it could use some improvement but she wasn't really sure since she wasn't one to play instruments.

_"Oh beholder, what did you do?  
May the Lord forgive your action..."  
The black raven is now flying  
While the brave one's slowly dying...  
But the swears with last breath: "I'll be back  
To take you to the dark Alkar, the kingdom of pain!"_

She didn't know why, but Kazumi felt like she could sense his pain. Sense the deep emotional pain that was surging through his body was becoming part of hers. Was this part of the powers that her father would feel from someone because of the demon that had been sealed within him? Did she get it as well or was it just something else? Frowning, Kazumi could have sworn that she saw something gold under the blindfold… was she right?

_FACE THE KING, RIDE THE WIND  
FOR THE LEGEND OF STEEL  
LEAVE DARK HELL BEHIND YOU FOREVER  
FACE THE KING, RIDE THE WIND  
FOR THE LEGEND OF STEEL  
BREAK THE CHAINS OF THE PAST FOREVER  
FACE THE KING_

_FACE THE KING_

_FACE THE KING_

Kazumi had to admit… the song itself was pretty good. Not something she would normally listen to but it was still good otherwise. Looking at the singer, he grabbed a bottle of water and drank that while he listened to the other people in his little band. She couldn't quite hear what they were saying though she had a feeling that they were discussing the song. Such as if to add any changes or to keep the song the way it was. Honestly, she figured that the song should stay the way it was, it didn't seem like it needed any kind of improvement what so ever.

Though, she figured that it wasn't really her choice. After all, she wasn't in the band; it was their band so she didn't have any say in what was going on what so ever. Blinking her lavender coloured eyes, she couldn't help but stare at them with wide eyes. The blindfold teen finished off his water and started to get ready for another song.

_Show me how to lie  
You're getting better all the time  
And turning all against the one  
Is an art that's hard to teach  
Another clever word  
Sets off an unsuspecting herd  
And as you step back into line  
A mob jumps to their feet_

The teen seemed to have a bit of a calm expression on his face. Something that shouldn't be possible for this song almost sounded aggressive. What was the meaning of this song? Better yet, what was the name of the guy with the blindfold? It was annoying her that she didn't know who he was… almost as if the mystery itself irritated her to a new level.

_Now dance, fucker, dance  
Man, he never had a chance  
And no one even knew  
It was really only you_

The teen almost seemed to smile as he sang. As if he liked the verse. Did he like the idea of telling lies? Was his soul that dark or was it something more? Shaking her head, Kazumi had to think that there was good in his soul, after all everyone had good in them… at least until it had been consumed by the darkness.

_And now you steal away  
Take him out today  
Nice work you did  
You're gonna go far, kid_

Damn, he must have really good lungs to not get them so sore. Since she hadn't sung much or ever since she was a child, there was no way that she would be able to handle it. Frowning, Kazumi opened the door a little more as she tried to get a good look at the band that was playing. For some reason, she thought that she saw fangs while the guy with the blindfold's mouth was open enough. Why was that?

_With a thousand lies  
And a good disguise  
Hit 'em right between the eyes  
Hit 'em right between the eyes  
When you walk away  
Nothing more to say  
See the lightning in your eyes  
See 'em running for their lives_

He held his finger between his eyes, as if he was pointing a gun to it. Kazumi's eyes widened, she had heard that from her father once. That was how grandpa Minato was killed. He had been shot in the head… No, a lot of people could be killed that way, after… after all it was just song lyrics. There was no real meaning to it right? Right?

_Slowly out of line  
And drifting closer in your sights  
So play it out I'm wide awake  
It's a scene about me  
There's something in your way  
And now someone is gonna pay  
And if you can't get what you want  
Well it's all because of me_

The teens all had this creepy smile on their faces. As if they knew something… whatever that was, she didn't know though what she did know was that she was scared out of her mind. The strange dark feelings that she was feeling, it was strong. Strongest one of course, was the one wearing the blindfold.

_Now dance, fucker, dance_  
_ Man, I never had a chance_  
_ And no one even knew_  
_ It was really only you_

_And now you'll lead the way  
Show the light of day  
Nice work you did  
You're gonna go far, kid  
Trust, deceived!_

Kazumi gulped, mostly trying to keep herself calm. That dark feeling was only growing and she knew that whoever was causing it was pouring their dark feelings into this song, if it hadn't been for her father having a demon sealed within him that was the embodiment of negative emotions, she would have been easily influenced since her father had some kind of immunity thanks to that.

_With a thousand lies  
And a good disguise  
Hit 'em right between the eyes  
Hit 'em right between the eyes  
When you walk away  
Nothing more to say  
See the lightning in your eyes  
See 'em running for their lives_

_Now dance, fucker, dance  
He never had a chance  
And no one even knew  
It was really only you_

_So dance, fucker, dance  
I never had a chance  
It was really only you_

Shaking slightly, the young teen tried to keep herself calm. Her lavender coloured eyes were filled with fear. She wanted to get away as soon as possible, but her feet were firmly planted into the floor. She couldn't move, as if she was in some kind of trance. Biting her lip, Kazumi tried to get herself to relax, thinking that if she didn't then they would know she was here.

_With a thousand lies  
And a good disguise  
Hit 'em right between the eyes  
Hit 'em right between the eyes  
When you walk away  
Nothing more to say  
See the lightning in your eyes  
See 'em running for their lives_

The teen with the blindfold seemed to stare right at her, as if he was looking deeply into her very soul. How was he staring at her!? Did he somehow know that she was there? Gulping, the young woman tried to get herself to relax; there was no way that he could see her right? It just didn't seem possible for her to be seen by someone who was wearing a blindfold.

_Clever alibi  
Lord of the flies  
Hit 'em right between the eyes  
Hit 'em right between the eyes  
When you walk away  
Nothing more to say  
See the lightning in your eyes  
See 'em running for their lives_

Once the song was over, Kazumi felt the negative emotions seem to fly away. She wondered if they knew about that, if they somehow knew that they were pouring their dark emotions into their song but, maybe they knew and didn't care. That they wanted people to feel pain, the kind of pain that they were feeling. It made Kazumi want to run, though she didn't think that it would be possible…

"Who are you." Demanded a voice, causing Kazumi to yelp and look up. She must have been in so deep of thought that she didn't even notice the black and red haired teen having walked right up to the door and opened it. Causing her to stare with wide eyes and whimper. "I ask again, who are you." Kazumi didn't think that she would be able to answer him that she just couldn't bring herself to answer him… so she did the only thing that she could…

She ran.


	6. Chapter 6

_My whole life, I had been raised to hate Naruto Uzumaki, been raised to believe that his company was to be mine. Now that I'm near my last year of high school, I didn't think I would see someone from my past. Though, I knew that when my mother and siblings found out that this was going to be risky but… maybe this will be a huge chapter to my life… will I be like my father, or will I be myself?_

Yamihebi didn't know what he was to do. He had been surprised when he saw Kazumi at school the other day… he knew for sure that it had been her. There was no way that anyone else could have blonde hair with blue at the ends and the lavender coloured eyes. At least, not the same combination, though it made him wonder what had brought her to the same school that he had been transferred to. Was it by sheer chance or was it something more?

Shaking his head, the teen ran a hand through his red slick bangs as he tried to get himself to relax. Normally, he could easily calm himself through just the simplest of actions but this time, it didn't seem to want to work for him. It was as if his nerves were raw and on overdrive.

_'Is there something wrong with me?'_ thought Yamihebi as he started to walk down the halls of his home. Ever since his encounter with Kazumi all those years ago, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Why that was, he couldn't be sure though… he had a feeling that it had something to do with her father. After all, he had been told time and again that Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, had killed his father, Orochimaru in cold blood to get the company back rather than set a peaceful treaty or something along those lines. Or maybe it was something else… there was really no way of knowing the more he thought about it.

Frowning, the young man passed a mirror and stared at his reflection, he still wore the blindfold around his eyes. Something that he had grown accustomed to wearing since he turned fifteen. No matter how old he gets, the young man thought that his eyes would keep causing problems to those he stared at… he didn't know why his mother's didn't need to be covered like his did but he knew that he had to pass some kind of test or get over something that clouds his mind. Some sort of personal test maybe… unless his mother never had this problem in the first place.

"Yamihebi, mother wants to see you." Said his little sister, he knew that his sister wasn't really Orochimaru's child, the same with her twin brother but his mother wanted more children and couldn't really get them from his father since he died. Her long blonde hair draped over her shoulder as she stared at him with a bored expression.

Just giving his sister a bored stare, he looked at her. His sister just seemed to be like a mindless robot for their mother, the same for her twin. Was he the only one that could think for himself or was it something else? Shaking his head, the young man started to walk on down the hall, wondering what his mother could possibly want. _'Dear lord please tell me she doesn't want me to feed her snakes again! Ugh, those things are nasty!'_ thought Yamihebi with a shudder.

Looking around the halls as he walked, Yamihebi saw a picture of his father Orochimaru with his mother. His black hair was slick and smooth, his gold eyes fierce with a sinister look behind them. Then of course there was his sharp facial features… they reminded him of a snake, and that bothered him. Though, it also made him happy that he didn't get most of his features from him…

Was he going to end up being like his father or was he to be himself? This was just all so confusing and it made the young man think that it would never end no matter how much he wanted it too. Rubbing his forehead, he held out his free hand and pushed open a door before walking in a small office. "Mother, what did you want?" asked Yamihebi.

"Your sister and brother told me that you… bumped into a girl…" answered Yuki.

"So?"

"A girl with blonde hair… with blue tips."

"Your point?"

"And lavender coloured eyes."

"… Well…"

"It's Kazumi isn't it… the daughter of Naruto."

Yamihebi remained silent, not wanting to confirm but he also didn't want to deny it. Thinking that if he did, that there would be a chance his mother would want to kill her. Damn it, sure he had been told that Naruto killed his father but… he didn't want to bring Kazumi into this, for crying out loud she wasn't even born yet when he died and her father took the company.

Yuki just smirked, her fangs overlapping her lower lip as she stared at her son. No matter how many times he sees that smile, Yamihebi didn't think he would get used to seeing his mother's fangs. "Maybe… just maybe… we can steal the company back and make it our own! We'll get justice for your father and you'll have the future you rightfully deserve!"

"But, mother… what kind of plan would work to get back a company like that?" asked Yamihebi, not really sure if his mother was sane or not. Maybe in a sense, his mother lost her sanity long ago, but better not tell her that. Taking a seat in a chair across from his mother's desk, he waited to hear her answer, knowing her, it might be a long explanation, might as well make himself comfortable.

"So, what do you have in mind mother…?" asked Yamihebi, trying to figure out what his mother could possibly come up with to get the company. The last few plans she tried didn't work out as great, such as making a law-suit to get the company that way. Sadly, since Minato Namikaze was the original owner and Naruto being his only son had the company. Not like any plan of hers even worked in the first place…

"I want you to earn Naruto's trust, get close to his daughter… save her life… and Naruto will be indented to you until he can repay you. Once you're alone with him… I want you to end him." She said with a dark, evil and sinister grin. The kind that told Yamihebi that she was being serious, that she really wanted to end Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze for killing Orochimaru. Its official, his mother has lost her mind… but, he had to go through with this plan no matter…

The company was his father's, and now it will be his… and to him, it didn't matter who he hurt in the end. All he cared about now, was to get the company, but how would he get close enough to Kazumi to completely earn Naruto's trust?

_'Why couldn't things be easier?'_ thought the young man with a soft sigh.

"Why are you sighing?"

"Oh no reason mother… no reason at all. But, dare I ask how I save Kazumi in the first place?"

Yuki smirked once more; in fact her smirk only went wider than last time. Did she already have this all figured out? Or had she only had those other plans to make Naruto think that there would be no trouble in the first place? Ugh, this was all just so confusing!

"Think about it Yamihebi… once you defeat and kill Naruto, your eyes will not cause problems on who you look at anymore… they would be normal and you can finally live a normal life… a life filled with luxury and things you've always wanted but we couldn't afford for you or your brother and sister. So many things Yamihebi… just think about it."

He couldn't help but think about it. There were so many things that he wanted yet, is all that stuff worth the price? To kill someone even if they did kill his father? Frowning, Yamihebi shook his head as he said "mother, I… I don't think I can do it. I don't think I can take a life willingly…" Just as he had said those words, Yamihebi felt himself flying through the air at a blinding speed. His mother had jumped over her desk and grabbed him by the throat and held him against the wall. He struggled to break free, but it seemed that no matter what he did, his mother had a firm grip.

"Now, now Yamihebi… you wouldn't want to upset your dear mommy would you?" said Yuki with a sickly sweet sounding voice. He knew that tone, he knew it all too well. It was the voice she used when she didn't get her way, in a way, his mother sounded like a spoiled brat that didn't get the toy it wanted. She just smiled all the more as she said "you know what happens when you disobey your mother now don't you?" she smirked before reaching up and removed the blindfold from around her son's eyes.

Yamihebi stared at his mother's now glowing red eyes with fear. He knew what his mother was going to do, and he never looked forward to what she did. Sometimes, he wondered why he never reported her about child abuse… ah right, because they never believed him.

* * *

Yamihebi groaned, he felt like he was hit by a few dozen trucks. Rubbing his aching shoulder, he looked around the streets as he walked. It seemed like a simple neighbourhood, though he couldn't help but wonder if it would even be possible for this place to even be dangerous. Would this place even be good for the plan his mother had sorted out for the whole thing or what?

Shaking his head, the young man ran a hand through his red bangs as he tried to get himself together. This was something that he knew he would have to do, or he would be punished once more. Shaking his head, the young man hid in an alley, wanting to make sure that he stayed hidden until the right moment. His mother had hired some men to attack Kazumi when she was walking home so everything will be fine… though they may end up hurting her so… he hoped that didn't happen.

Grabbing his blindfold, he wrapped it around his head, and over his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he looked out of the alley way and soon, he saw Kazumi walking down the hall. Her long blonde and blue tipped hair bounced as she walked. Her lavender coloured eyes seemed to almost sparkle in the sunlight. It was amazing that was for sure though… he wasn't sure why he was seeing this when he stared at her. Frowning, Yamihebi shook his head, hoping to get those thoughts out of his head. _'Maybe I've lost my mind…'_ thought the young man as he sighed softly, things were just getting harder and harder for him to accept, that was for sure.

Kazumi stopped suddenly and looked around, was she aware that he was watching her or was it something else? Gritting his teeth, he quickly ducked away in the shadows, hoping that would provide him some kind of coverage. It didn't seem that she saw him, for she kept on walking on ahead. Looking at where Kazumi stood, he saw two shadowy figures. They just grinned at her and started to walk up to her. Were those the men that his mother hired?

The men walked up to Kazumi, being careful not to cause alarm. Yet. Though he knew that they were mostly just trying to scare her, or to cause small harm to her like a couple bruises. There wasn't really a way of knowing what they were going to do, though what he did know was that he would have to stop them before it got too far.

Narrowing his eyes into slits he followed the men, though making sure to keep himself hidden. Kazumi was not aware that she was being followed by three men. Two people who were hired to beat her, and Yamihebi. This was going to be one hell of a day that was for sure.

Hiding in one last alley, Yamihebi closed his eyes as he waited for the right moment. The sounds of shoes hitting the cement made, the sounds of clothes rustling in the wind. He wasn't sure what they were going to do… Yamihebi didn't know what was going to happen, that is until… "Someone help me!" shouted a woman's voice; right away he knew that it was Kazumi. Opening his eyes, he turned to stare at the scene before him.

Kazumi had been grabbed and thrown to the ground. Kazumi cried out in pain and tried to get up though the one kept her down with their foot on her side and the other kicking her in the stomach. Okay, so maybe they were going a little too far. Rushing out from his hiding place, the one man pulled out a knife and got ready to stab her. Acting quickly, Yamihebi grabbed the one man's arm and threw him over his shoulder and onto the ground.

"How dare you!" shouted the man with the knife as he watched his friend that once held Kazumi to the ground be thrown down toward the ground. It was something at least, though right now, Yamihebi didn't know if they were acting now or they were being serious. Either way, he had to kick some serious ass. Growling he threw his fist at the man that held the knife.

"Oh I dare!" shouted Yamihebi before he kicked the man under his chin. The man fell over and glared with pure hate and malice in his gaze. Okay, so this was obvious that he was serious now… that is, if he wasn't serious before or had always been serious. "You wanna go!?" shouted Yamihebi, his eyes narrowed into slits behind his blindfold, he got ready for a strike, preparing himself for anything that would happen that anyone should or shouldn't expect in a battle.

The man jumped up and acted quickly, quicker than he thought would have been possible for a human man. He whipped out his knife and slashed at Yamihebi's face. He didn't get out of the way in time, for the knife not only cut his face, but it went up his cheek and over the temple, and with that the blindfold was cut and started to fall away.

As soon as his gold eyes made contact the man froze. It was as if time had stopped, Yamihebi's eyes were angry, glowed with nothing but pure rage and hatred. The eyes of someone who had a hard life but tried to make it better for himself. It was as if he was a completely different person, though he knew what was happening. It was something he hated to see happen but he knew that it was something he couldn't avoid.

Soon, it seemed like time had returned to normal, for right now the man started to go through body spasms. Like he couldn't control himself for soon, he was down on the ground writhing in pain. He couldn't control his body as it was going through surges of pain, it made him wonder though… was the pain that he was feeling like what he felt yesterday or was what he went through much, much worse? Shaking his head, the young man reached into his pocket and pulled out another blindfold and tied it around his head before turning to Kazumi.

Kazumi whimpered a bit as she tried to get herself up. Yamihebi started to felt bad for Kazumi going through this but right now it was too late to do anything. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to Kazumi and helped her up onto her feet. She frowned a bit when she looked up at him before stumbling on her legs. Catching her quickly, he said "I'll bring you home…" Before she could say anything else, he placed her on his back and started to walk to her home, at least with Kazumi's instructions.

This… this was going to be one hell of a day that was for sure.


	7. Chapter 7

**hey everyone, sorry about taking so long to post this chapter, I was working on a chapter for a novel I hope to have published someday, anyway I'm doing a poll for a story to write after I finish some more stories so that way I'm not overworked with other stories that I need to finish. The two stories are Uzumaki Galaxy which is a Naruto and Rogue Galaxy crossover, and the other is ****Kitsune-shin which is a Naruto and Okami crossover. I hope you enjoy this chapter and if you have an idea on how Yamihebi helps Kazumi with her self-confidence then let me know and I'll make it happen, at least if the idea gives me a whole chapter XP**

* * *

_Well, phase one of the plan was complete. I saved Kazumi from some muggers though I'm still uneasy with the whole thing. Though what I can say is that because of the plan, that I will get close to Naruto, and I will avenge my father… even if my heart does not want to commit the act, I must avenge Orochimaru. Though first, I would need to have Naruto alone so I could give the finishing blow…_

Yamihebi didn't know how long he had been walking for, though what he did know was that he was close to Kazumi's home. From what he could tell, the Uzumaki-Namikaze building was within eye sight and, there were two houses near the building. One was smaller though so he assumed it was for a guest or something. Either that or it was for storage.

Shaking his head, the young man walked up the walkway, hoping to get Kazumi to the door before anyone would notice, though he would definitely have to talk to either her mother or father. He had to stay here, pretend that he ran off and was kicked out of his family. That was the second phase of the plan, and then he would have to get closer to Kazumi showing Naruto that he only wanted a second chance and once they are alone… he would kill him.

It seemed like the perfect plan, something with no back fires whatsoever. After all, he was his father's son and nothing was going to stop him from this plan… no matter how much he didn't want to. After all, Yamihebi was more afraid of his mother than anything else even the sense of right and wrong that was in him.

Looking at Kazumi, he calmly asked "where do you want me to put you?" he didn't know where he could put Kazumi, or even if her parents are even home. There was no way for sure to say what he could do to get himself to stay here. Kazumi didn't answer, at least not right away. She pulled out her key and handed it to Yamihebi to unlock the door. Did that mean that she wanted him to go inside? Taking hold of the key, Yamihebi brought himself into the house and down the hall. He didn't know where her bedroom was so he settled for the living room.

Yamihebi had to admit, the house was a lot bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. Frowning, he tried to figure out what more he could do for Kazumi, though it seemed that he couldn't really do much since he didn't know where everything was. Frowning, he looked at the back of the couch and pulled off the blanket and draped it around her, hoping to keep her warm. Kazumi was shaking though he figured that it was from the shock.

"You going to be okay?" asked Yamihebi as he frowned. She seemed like an innocent girl so why would his mother want to attack her and not Naruto? At least that way he could have earned Naruto's trust then and there rather than have to earn it slowly instead of right away. Sometimes, he thought that his mother was insane…

"Mhm… I don't know how to thank you…" whispered Kazumi, looking like she was about to fall asleep. The whole thing must have really worn her out that much was easy to see. Also, it would have worn anyone out if they had gone through what she had gone through just hours ago.

Yamihebi just stared at her, if only she knew the truth. She didn't have to say 'thank you' when it was his mother's plan to begin with. Though it also doesn't hurt to be thanked for saving someone right? Or was it too much when you know that it had been a set up to begin with? "You okay?" asked Kazumi, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Blinking at her for a moment, Yamihebi nodded as he said "I'm fine… just, tired I guess." He didn't really know what else he could tell her, only that he was a little nervous. Thinking that he was going to blow the plan, and that he was only going to make this worse than it should be. Taking a deep breath, Yamihebi calmly said "do you think you'll be alright for now?" He didn't know what to really ask, being around someone that wasn't a part of his family was still so new to him so this was going to take some getting used to.

"I'll be okay but… can't you stay a little longer? Please?" Her voice sounded so scared and alone. As if no one could really understand the kind of pain, both mentally and physically, that she was going through. Had the past really scarred her that bad to the point where she was nervous around people or was it just about something else? Maybe if he spent time with her, he'll find out… even if it was part of his mother's plan, he'll find out something about her…

"Alright…" He whispered softly, he sat down next to her on the couch though, not really sure what he could do. This was a little nerve wrecking that was for sure; maybe the pressure of this mission was a little too much for him after all. Damn it, why was he cracking now of all times?! Gulping, he said "so… Kazumi… uh…"

"How do you know my name?"

"Oh… uh… I've heard rumours about you. I know a bit about you though not everything." Calmly said Yamihebi, even though he was sweating on the inside, would she really believe that he's learned about her through rumours? Damn it there was no way that anyone could be so gullible!

"Really?"

On the other hand, maybe she could be that gullible… He just nodded before saying "I heard a lot about you Kazumi. Even that you were an amazing singer when you were a kid, but you stopped singing… why?" He tilted his head to the side, wondering why she would stop singing in the first place. That was something that had always confused him, and had him wondering why someone would give up on such a gift. Hell, she should be proud to have the gift to sing, most people would kill to have that kind of gift… _'Funny how I think of the word 'kill'.'_ thought Yamihebi with a frown.

"Because I'm terrible at singing…"

"Don't say that!"

"Why not? It's true!"

"No, you can sing you just don't have any self-confidence is all!"

Damn, whatever his mother did to Kazumi had really taken effect on her. She just didn't have any kind of confidence at all! Frowning at her, Yamihebi calmly said "how about this Kazumi… I'll help you get your self-confidence back?"

"Why would you want to help me?"

"Think of it as a way to repay me for getting cut and losing my favourite headband."

"Why do you wear those anyway?"

He went quite, really not wanting to talk about the reason for him wearing a headband over his eyes. It was… rather tough thing to have to deal with every day. Taking a deep breath, Yamihebi just stared at Kazumi, thankful that she couldn't see his eyes at the moment. Tilting his head he wondered if she would drop the question or if she really just wanted to know. Turning his head away, he whispered "you should just rest, don't worry about me."

With that said the black haired young man rose in his seat and was about to head out until the front door opened. The sound of footsteps and the door closing echoed through his ears. Damn it was it her parents? They were home sooner than he thought they would be. Gulping, Yamihebi tried to get out of the house quick but sadly, it didn't seem that was meant to be for a certain spiky blonde haired man walked into the room and just stared at Kazumi and Yamihebi. The whisker marks on his face and the scar that marred his face was all he needed to know who this guy was, it was Naruto. This was going to be scary…

* * *

Naruto had walked home from the store with his wife Hinata. Thinking that instead of hurting herself with the heavy lifting that he would be a good husband and do all the heavy lifting for her, it was better for him to do that after all. When he got home he had expected to sit down, relax on the couch and just watch some TV with his family and talk about the day's events. Though, what he saw instead was his daughter under a blanket and a boy with long black hair with crimson bangs.

Narrowing his eyes he dropped everything and charged at the teen that hovered over his one and only daughter. Once he was within range, Naruto grabbed the teen by his shirt and pinned him to the wall. "What are you doing here!?" shouted Naruto, his blue eyes turned red with black slits. He wasn't going to let anyone hurt his children. Nothing was going to stop him from protecting his family, nothing will get him to allow any kind of harm to come to Kazumi or Hinata and he was going to make sure of it.

The young man just stared at Naruto; at least he was sure he was only staring at him since his eyes were hidden. Narrowing his eyes all the more, Naruto growled out "who-are-you!?" he slammed him against the wall with each word, as if to prove that if he didn't start talking then he would be getting the beating of a life time.

"I… I'm… Yamihebi…"

Naruto's eyes widened for a moment, there was no way that this could be him could it? Tilting his head for a brief moment, Naruto leaned in and sniffed the black haired teen, if this was really Yamihebi then there should be a small trace of Orochimaru's and Yuki's scent. The scent of oil and sickenly sweet were hidden under his natural scent. Growling, he whispered "you're the son of Orochimaru and Yuki… I remember you… I saw you years ago with Kazumi. What do you want with her?!"

It looked like he wasn't going to answer him again. This was something that he hated, it was the waiting. Especially when it comes to trying to figure out what the person was after. Glaring to the point where the blonde haired man's gaze could burn holes into your soul, he finally started to speak. "I saved Kazumi; she would have been killed… I'd never hurt her I promise." For some reason, Naruto had doubts about his claim. Looking over his shoulder, he stared at his daughter as if asking if he was telling the truth. At first, Naruto expected that she would shake her head, saying that he didn't save her and that he had really broken into the house. But, it was what she said that had caused Naruto to be shocked.

"It's true dad… I was walking and he saved me when I got attacked and he got hurt in the process." Kazumi said, her voice was filled with guilt at the part of her saying that he got hurt in the process. Though looking at him, Naruto didn't see any indication of him getting hurt at all. Hm… it made him wonder if he was really normal, or if Yamihebi was like him.

"I'm a rouge… I ran off from home because I couldn't stand living there anymore. My mother isn't the best person to life with. So, I ran off and ran into Kazumi and I saved her." He said, trying to get himself to relax. Naruto raised an eyebrow at him; it seemed a little odd that he ran off from home the same day that Kazumi was attacked. Though for now he'll let this slide…

Carefully, he set Yamihebi down onto his feet and glared for a moment. The blonde haired man didn't know what he was going to do with him, though what he did know was that he was going to make sure that he didn't do anything that would hurt his daughter or there would be hell to pay. "I have nowhere to go, though for now I can check into a hotel…" Yamihebi whispered before he started to walk away.

"Stay here!" said Kazumi with a smile.

Naruto stared at her for a moment. Damn it he wanted to stomp his foot and say 'oh hell no!' but he knew that he couldn't do that. Not when he did owe him for saving Kazumi. Shaking his head, he ran a hand through his hair before saying "he can stay but…"

* * *

"He'll stay in the guest house!" shouted Naruto as he brought Kazumi and Yamihebi to the guest house. He looked at Yamihebi as he said "and, you can help out with the yard work when you get home from school." Kazumi just stared at her father with a frown, what had she been expecting? Did she want him to stay in the main house with everyone?

Shaking his head, Naruto calmly said "everything you need is inside understood?" He didn't think that Yamihebi would comply, that he would just run off then he would be out of his hair. Sadly, Naruto went by a code of honour, if he owed someone some kind of debt then he would repay it somehow. Though at the moment he just wasn't sure how he would pay that off at the moment.

"Yes sir…" said Yamihebi before he walked on inside. This was sure going to be strange with him living here but for the moment, he couldn't care less so long as he wasn't in the main house. After that, he started to bring Kazumi inside wondering what Hinata would be making for dinner.


	8. Chapter 8

_Nightmares are something that someone fear. Something that they do not wish to face or deal with, or even something that they have experienced in the past and fear that it would happen again. How I know this? That is very simple, for right now I was having a nightmare of when my father was killed, and now… I fear that it shall happen again… but this time not toward my father but towards someone else._

Naruto yawned softly; it had been one hell of a day. Why was it that he was letting the son of his enemy stay in the guest house he didn't know. Though at the moment he didn't care, all he would need to know was that he should get himself a cat scan or something. Either way, he was going to get his head checked out for some kind of insanity or a tumour.

Shaking his head he walked into the bathroom to get himself washed up before bed. Looking in the mirror, Naruto just stared at his tired expression. Dark circles of stress were under his eyes; his skin was a little pale like the life had been drained right out of him. Frowning, he looked down and turned on the water and pulled the plug and allowed the sink to fill with the cold water. Naruto felt like he had just been drained, maybe he was just worried about Kazumi, thinking that Yamihebi was going to hurt her. Or was he just over thinking this all?

Taking a deep breath, Naruto turned off the tap and cupped his hands under the water before bending over to splash the water on his face. Naruto felt the water hit his face as he tried to get himself to relax. Shaking his head, the young man sent water droplets flying from his bangs before he stared at his reflection and frowned. The water did little to nothing in getting him to relax a little more. Sighing softly, he brushed his teeth and pulled on some shorts before crawling into bed.

"You okay Naruto?" asked Hinata when she looked up from the bed. It seemed that Hinata didn't fall asleep yet, she had waited for her husband to join her. She had gotten so used to sleeping with him that if he wasn't in the bed with her, then she couldn't sleep at all. Naruto couldn't help but give his beautiful wife a smile as he pulled her towards him.

Lying his head on top of hers, he whispered "I'm always okay with you near me Hinata but…" He couldn't help but frown, yes, Hinata brought him a sense of calm to him but, so long as he knew that he was housing his enemy then he would worry about his little girl no matter what. "I'm worried about Kazumi… I don't want her to be influenced by Orochimaru's son."

"I know Naruto… I know…" whispered Hinata before she fell asleep. Naruto of course kissed her forehead knowing that she was just as tired as he was and that they both should go to bed since they had to work tomorrow. Yawning softly, he lied down with Hinata and held her in his arms before he started to drift off to sleep…

_Naruto was running through the street. He didn't know where he was though he knew that he was in the city. His lungs felt like they were on fire; felt like that they would collapse on him. Gasping and wheezing for air, Naruto kept on running as if he was running away from a monster like the nightmares he had as a child._

_"Naruto!" shouted a voice, causing Naruto to stop in his tracks and look around. What was going on? Who could be calling him and most of all… why did that voice sound so familiar to him? Looking around, the young man searched around him, thinking that he could hear the person that had been yelling for him. "Naruto help me!"_

_Turning around, Naruto saw two men holding down a man that looked like him, though the spiky blonde hair was longer with two locks that framed his face. Sparkling blue eyes filled with fear as he stared at Naruto, begging, pleading for him to save him. "Dad!" shouted Naruto as he tried to run back toward his father; maybe if he saved him he could bring his family back together. To make his family complete and now, his daughter will know her grandfather at last._

_"Dad hold on!" shouted Naruto as he tried to get to his father. The man standing in front of Naruto's father, Minato trying to get to him. If he had somehow been brought back in time, then he would be able to save his father right? He would… would be able to save his father and prevent this whole thing from happening._

_Though it seemed that it wasn't meant to be, for he felt someone grab his arms. Everything soon started to fade from his line of sight as he saw the tall man shoot his father, and the remains just seeming to fade away. "No dad!" shouted Naruto; this was happening all over again… he lost his father. Gritting his teeth, he looked up at the two men that held him back though he couldn't see their faces._

_"It is time…" said a familiar voice, causing Naruto to look at the man that had shot his father. Orochimaru. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto kept on struggling, trying to get himself to break free. Though it seemed that the men that held onto him were much stronger than they appeared to be for soon he started to be pushed down onto the ground, onto his knees. No! This wasn't happening, it can't be happening to him!_

_Looking up at Orochimaru, he said "please don't do this!" He didn't really know why he was pleading, though all he knew was that he had a family to go back to, he didn't want the same fate as his father and didn't want Kazumi to have the same fate he did. This was all just a huge nightmare! When he looked up at Orochimaru, his form started to shift._

_The skin darkened a little, not by much but it tanned. His hair grew a little longer though was being pulled back into a ponytail, his bangs soon started to turn pink, then darkened into a red only for it to become a dark crimson. His eyes were being covered by a blindfold and soon his clothes started to morph into something he didn't think he'd ever see._

_A white shirt, long sleeveless jacket, camo pants with straps and the black boots. Only one word escaped Naruto's lips as he stared at the tall young man in front of him. "Yamihebi…" As if hearing his name brought him some kind of pleasure, Yamihebi held onto his gun and pointed it at Naruto's head, and took the safety off. No, this couldn't be happening! Was this going to be his future or was this really happening to him now?! Damn it why couldn't he tell the difference between nightmares and reality? Was it because it always felt so real to him?_

_"In the name of the true king, in the name of the man that you killed… in the name of my father Orochimaru you will die!" said Yamihebi with a crazy grin before he pulled the trigger, and the bullet went through Naruto's forehead._

Naruto shot awake and looked around gasping for air. Placing his shaky hand over his forehead, he didn't feel a hole in his head, just smooth yet sweaty skin. Looking around the room, the blonde haired man saw that he was in his bedroom, and next to him was his beautiful sleeping wife. Taking a deep breath, Naruto lied back down and just stared at the ceiling. This wasn't going to get any easier for him with Yamihebi still here.

_'Maybe it was just a nightmare… right? I don't have visions of the future… or was it Kurama trying to show me something?'_ thought Naruto for a moment before he started to drift off to sleep, wrapping his arms around Hinata and going out like a light.

* * *

Yamihebi groaned when he heard someone knocking on the door. Frowning, he pushed himself up and put on his blond fold as he wondered who would be knocking on the door this early in the morning. Sighing, he got up and rubbed his bare shoulder as he made his way out of the room and down the hall. He didn't really look at his surroundings or what was in the house at the moment, not with how tired he was.

Yawning softly, the young man opened the front door and blinked sleepily when he saw a blurred figure standing in front of him. "Yeah?" Was all he said, definitely not a morning person. Slowly, his vision started to clear and the clear image of Kazumi came into his sights. "Oh, hey Kazumi, what do you need?" Kazumi just stood there, her blonde and blue tipped hair pulled back into a high ponytail, her clothes pretty much the same from the first day of school though different colours. Was this the only style she had? Anyway, what he noticed the most was her face, it was bright red.

Frowning, he looked down and remembered that he was only wearing a pair of black silk boxers something he always wore to bed, at least in the summer. Looking up, he said "come in, let me go change." All he saw from her was a nod of her head before walking back toward his room and quickly threw on some clean clothes. Deciding to just forget his jacket for now and just hold onto it until he went outside. Once he was done changing he walked into the living room and stared at Kazumi, her face still red though not as much as before.

Yamihebi wondered what the lavender eyed girl would want from him, he was sure that Naruto would have told her to stay away from him though he didn't make a comment on that. At least not for a while yet, he needed to get close to Kazumi before getting to Naruto. For now, he would have to pretend that he didn't have anything up his sleeve, just for a while anyway. Taking a deep breath, the young man calmly asked "what do you need?"

"Uh… I was wondering if you'd… you'd help me with my singing problem…" whispered Kazumi.

"Your singing problem…? You mean with your self-confidence?"

Seeing her nod, Yamihebi got up onto his feet as he said "alright, though we'll have to get your in some places that make you comfortable, though with some songs that you are not familiar with. In a way it's like putting you in your comfort zone and out of your comfort zone." Kazumi just frowned a little, not really sure what was going to happen. He couldn't blame her being a little confused about it though for now it would have to do.

Though for the time being, it would be the only thing that they could do, at least to help Kazumi with her confidence. Taking a deep breath, Yamihebi grabbed his CD and told Kazumi that they would have to start in one location in her home, since it would have to start out as the most familiar place for her to be in. This would only be one location in the whole house.

* * *

"Why are we doing this in my bedroom?" asked Kazumi as she sat on her bed, watching the black haired teen was placing a CD in the stereo system that she had in her room. It was something that she didn't know any of the songs that he would have though it would be a start.

Well, at least that was what Yamihebi was thinking anyway. After he got the CD in, he calmly said "it's the only room in the whole house that is familiar to you, we're taking baby steps." He smiled a little bit before pulling out the lyrics from his pocket and handing it to Kazumi. "I want you to read the lyrics, memorize it and you'll do fine." He chuckled softly before he gave Kazumi a few minutes to read the lyrics.

Kazumi frowned a little, some of the words in the lyrics were something that she would never say, and at least that was what he was thinking that was going through his head. Kazumi set the paper down and looked at Yamihebi as if saying that she was ready for the song to start playing.

Smiling, Yamihebi pressed play and the music started to play then and there.

_Now I face out, I hold out  
I reach out to the truth of my life  
Seeking to seize on the whole moment here!_

Kazumi seemed nervous; her body shook a little bit though it was only right that she would be a little nervous since there was someone here watching her sing. Yamihebi had to admit though; she had a nice voice even when she was nervous.

_Yeah naked truth lies, only if you realize  
Appearing in nobody's eyes, till they sterilize  
Stop the guerrilla warfare to keep it fair  
Bro change your rage to a smarter greater cause  
You know the stake is high stardom is near  
Those who sympathized you died, Killers pass you by  
Do not waste your time hating flirting guys  
Use your might to AIs to do justice to them all_

Her hands were held together as her head was bent forward. Kazumi seemed a little looser, though her eyes were still tightly shut as if she was trying to pretend that she was in a new place all together. At least it was starting to improve a little bit, though it still wasn't enough. Well, not yet at least.

_Now I face out, I hold out  
I reach out to the truth of my life  
Seeking to seize on the whole moment to now break away!_

Kazumi took a deep breath as she lifted her head a little and her eyes opened a tiny bit. Yup, she was trying to come out of her shell but it was still harder than it seemed. Frowning, Yamihebi crossed his arms as he tried to think on something that could possible help her. Though, he didn't know what would help her, maybe next time he should pick a few songs that wouldn't make her so nervous.

_Oh god let me out, Can you let me out?  
Can you set me free from this dark inner world?  
Save me now last beat in the soul_

In a way, now that Yamihebi was listening to the lyrics it made him think that maybe he was also stuck in some kind of dark inner world, one that was being controlled by his crazy ass mother. He couldn't help but smile a little bit, when he looked up at Kazumi he saw that her posture was straight and her eyes were opened, though she still seemed a little nervous but this was a great start.

_Yeah flooded apple pie  
Left until somebody cries  
Goddamn always talking shizzle behind man get left behind  
Come on and quit that shizzle tell me what you really want  
Louder ladies I can feel nothing in the tone of your voice  
Closer it gets y'all know how everything reflects  
Your soul and spirits lost pretends gets rejects  
Look man you are one who actually you detest  
I guess they're good reasons why you can't see next_

Kazumi shifted from her left foot to the right and back again, now it just seemed that she was being a little shy. Was this mostly what she had been feeling wasn't just from lack of self-confidence but from her being shy? Hm… the more that he thought about it the more he remembered hearing his mother saying something about Kazumi's mother, Hinata being shy as a child and grew out of it a little bit from working for his father.

_Now I face out, I make head  
I bleach out cock and bull of this globe  
Thinking to seeking on the whole moment now it's on!_

Kazumi took a deep breath, as if hoping that would calm down her fried nerves. Yamihebi gave her a thumbs up, as if cheering her on silently, it seemed to have done the trick for it seemed that she feeling better that she was in her room to start off rather than a heavily populated area.

_Oh god it's enough? Are you satisfied?  
It's already disgusting to dance with your palms  
Save me now last beat in the soul_

Now Yamihebi would have to think on where they would go next though that test wouldn't be for a while so that would give him some time to think on where to go next for the test. But he would also have to update his mother on what he was doing. This was going to be one hell of a mission but it was going to be worth it right?

_Now I face out, I hold out  
I reach out to the truth of my life  
Seeking to seize on the whole moment to now break away!_

Taking a deep breath, Yamihebi looked over the lyrics to see how far Kazumi was and just smiled. She was already so close to finishing the song and she hadn't panicked at all in the least and was even a little calmer since she started the song. This was going just as he had hoped; now all they had to do was get Kazumi through the rest of the song and she can relax.

_Oh god let me out, Can you let me out?  
Can you set me free from this dark inner world  
Save me now last beat in the soul_

Kazumi had fully opened her eyes and had been staring at Yamihebi, now it seemed that Kazumi had adjusted okay to singing in her room. Though this was only the beginning that was for sure. She seemed a little more relaxed and for that he was thankful. The thing now was that would this be enough for her to do or would he have to wait for something else? Ugh he was just getting himself mixed up; he would have to go through some of the mission specks to make sure that he was doing this whole thing right.

_Now I face out, I make head  
I bleach out cock and bull of this globe  
Thinking to seeking on the whole moment now it's on!_

Kazumi was starting to shake, was this starting to become too much for her already? Or was she just scared of what to expect next? He couldn't really be sure though Yamihebi knew that he would have to get her to relax soon or she would have some kind of panic attack. Getting up from his seat, he walked over to Kazumi and wrapped his arm around her shoulders hoping that would get her to relax, and for some reason… she had stopped shaking all together.

_Oh god it's enough? Are you satisfied?  
It's already disgusting to dance with your palms  
Save me now last beat in the soul_

Once the song was done, Kazumi sat on her bed and just took a few deep breaths hoping that would get her to calm down. Yamihebi couldn't believe on what a good job that she did, and all he could do was smile. "That was a great start Kazumi. I'll have to pick a new location for the next step though not too soon okay? So just relax."

"Okay, though um… Yamihebi? Can you do me a favour?" Kazumi said with a bit of a shyness that made her seem adorable. Yamihebi frowned though and just tilted his head before nodding. What she was going to ask couldn't be that bad right?

"Please don't tell my dad. He's been trying to get me back to singing because he knew how much I loved it and now… I just don't want him to find out that your helping me because he'll be mad… please, please don't tell him.

He could clearly see the scared look on her face. Naruto had been trying to get her to go back to what she loved for so long and now, she was trusting him, a total stranger to help her with her problem. Yamihebi could clearly see how this could get Naruto mad or even upset. Taking a deep breath, he said one simple word to get her trust…

"Alright."


	9. Chapter 9

_I couldn't believe that Yamihebi was going to help me with my problems. Though I wonder what was going to happen now… I mean, he said that he still had other tests to help me through the whole thing; I guess it's kinda like stepping stones or something. Either way, I didn't know what he was going to do but what I do know was that he was starting with where I was most comfortable. What I'm more concerned about though is will this be enough to help me?_

Kazumi sighed softly as she got dressed, wondering what Yamihebi had in mind for her today. He had been thinking about the next step for a few days not and it had her a little worried as to what he was going to do. Frowning, she grabbed her hair tie and pulled her hair back, thinking that maybe she should have it up today in case they were going to go to a windy location. Wouldn't hurt at least…

As she walked out of her room and down the stairs, she thought back to when he had her sing that song. It was a little nerve wrecking, that was for sure though at the same time, maybe he just wanted her to get the harder stuff out of the way so that way it would be easier for her later on when she passes the final stepping stone. That does make a little bit of sense right?

Shrugging mentally to herself, Kazumi was soon at the bottom of the stairs and headed on toward the front door to meet Yamihebi, wondering if he was awake this time. There was no way that she wanted to see him in his boxers again. It made her face red just thinking about it… _'Though… he does have nice abs…'_ She then covered her face, not believing that she had thought that! Ugh, she blames her father's genes; her dad was such a pervert though it was a little sad that she also had her mother's shy nature when it came to seeing a boy without a shirt on.

Sighing, she walked out of the house and headed on toward the guest house. It was roughly ten on the weekend so he should be up right? Unless he wasn't a morning person like she was. Sighing softly, the young woman walked up the front steps and started to knock on the front door. Hoping, praying that he was awake. Taking a deep breath, Kazumi held her hands in front of her body as she tried to keep herself calm, relaxed and collected… pretty much trying to keep herself all together. It almost felt like her nerves were on fire, or were in a skillet being fried like fried chicken.

Suddenly, the sound of the door opening caused Kazumi to look up and blink when she saw Yamihebi. He was dressed at least, though what had her a little confused was the blindfold that was over his eyes. No matter what she's never seen him without that thing around his eyes so… why did he wear it? And, could he even see with that thing on in the first place?

Yamihebi stared at Kazumi; at least she was sure that he was staring at her. She wasn't really sure so long as he wore that blindfold over his eyes. The way his head was turned to her though, it made her wonder if maybe he could really see through that thing, and if he could did he see things in a different light or what?

"Hey Kazumi, come in." Yamihebi said as he started to walk on inside the guest house. It made the young woman wonder why she was going in again. Sure, last time it was so he could get dressed and she wouldn't look like an idiot waiting outside for him but it did have her wondering what they were going to do today for this. It was all so confusing but for the time being, Kazumi shouldn't complain about any of this.

"Yamihebi, why do you wear the blindfold?"

"That's none of your business Kazumi… Just forget about it for now alright? Right now, I'm trying to help you relax when you sing."

"I know that but where are we going this time?"

"Nowhere, we're staying here for your next step. We start in familiar places and move to places that you aren't so familiar with."

Kazumi just blinked her lavender eyes at him in confusion. Sure she's known about the guest house a bunch of times and had stayed in here a few times with Ryu when she was a kid and now… well it had been redecorated a lot that's for sure but even now, it wasn't as familiar to her as it used to be, or even as much as her bedroom would have been.

Looking around the house, she saw that it hadn't changed at all since she had been last in here. Tilting her head a bit, the young woman wondered which room they would go in for the practice, there was no way of knowing what he was thinking, normally she could read a person from looking at their eyes, but with his being covered all the time, she couldn't read him at all. Taking a deep breath the young woman leaned back in her seat as she tried to get herself to relax, the thought of the song that may end up having her be very nervous and scared, or a song that would get her to relax.

When she looked again she saw that Yamihebi wasn't in the room anymore. Sitting up straight on the couch, Kazumi called out "Yamihebi where are you?" Kazumi waited for him to say something, anything but for some reason, she was starting to get a little scared and nervous. Did he just up and left her here all alone? Gulping, the young woman stood up and was about to head on out of the room until a voice had stopped her.

"Hold on Kazumi, we still haven't done what you need to do yet."

Kazumi turned around and stared at Yamihebi and saw that he was holding a portable stereo. Frowning, she saw him plug it into the outlet that was in the room and was putting in a CD. What song would he start playing for her or, did she even want to know what the song would be? He looked up at her as he said "okay, this song isn't like the one from last week, rather that it's one that I think you might rather enjoy." Kazumi frowned a bit at the thought, wondering what kind of song it would be, what song could she possible enjoy that he would have? "Okay, I need you to stand up straight for me please and I'll get this song playing."

Okay, yeah she knew that she was standing but wasn't she straight enough? Frowning, Kazumi just stood there a little confused as to what he was talking about. At least, she was until Yamihebi walked over to her, placed his hands on her arms and pushed her shoulders to go up a little, to give her the look that she was stranding up straight rather than just staggering or sagging to the ground like she was upset about something.

Looking up at Yamihebi, Kazumi tried to get herself to straighten up all on her own. Once she had managed to do that, Yamihebi just nodded, as if he was happy with how she was standing for him and went to the stereo and started to hit 'play' after he got to the song that he wanted to use.

_There is a place I'm longing for tonight,  
A place I love so far, far away.  
There lives in my heart a treasure buried deep inside,  
And I'll keep wondering until I find it again someday._

The sound of the piano was calming and relaxing. It made her think of when she was a child, not having a care in the world and was just happy to be with her parents. Well, at least it was like that for her. In fact, singing the song seemed so natural, like it was a part of her, it made her think that maybe she could be happy.

_Somewhere the flowers are in bloom,  
A candle burning in a room.  
There is comfort in the darkest night,  
Even if there is no star in sight._

Crossing her arms, the young woman grabbed her own forearms as she sang; it was a wonderful song that was for sure. In fact, it also made her want to go back to those carefree days that she had as a child. Smiling gently, the young woman didn't think that she would have ever smiled again. Though just as quickly the smile appeared it had faded.

_Every time I close my eyes it's all I see,  
I am haunted by a timeless memory.  
And no matter what I do or where I roam,  
I will still be dreaming my way home._

Closing her eyes, Kazumi tried to get her heart to stop beating so quickly in her chest. She could hear it as it rung in her ears. It was something that she never felt before though would she be able to stop that feeling from coming again the more she did this, or would it happen each and every time that she would sing in front of someone or a crowd. Just thinking about it made her heart beat even quicker.

_Time froze but I kept moving on,  
All I have loved, all I have known.  
I turned around and in a moment it was gone,  
Still I believe I'm never far from home._

It felt like time could really freeze for her. In a way, that would happen if she didn't finish this song. If she didn't finish this step, this song in order to help her self-confidence then she knew that she would forever be frozen in this step for all time, that she would never make it through in her life, that she would never live up to what she really wanted to do. Taking a deep breath, the young woman tried to get herself to relax, tried to get herself through this song or she would never get through in her life.

_Somewhere the flowers are in bloom,  
I can almost smell their perfume.  
Somewhere a candle, still burning bright,  
Brings comfort to the darkest night_

Taking a deep breath once more, Kazumi carefully lifted her hands up to her chest and laid her palms over her heart. Eyes slowly opening as she sang, just trying to get herself to relax, pretend that someone wasn't in the room, listening to her. That she was really by herself and nothing was going to stop her from doing what she wanted to. Even if in her heart, she was still afraid of someone saying that she couldn't really sing at all.

_Every time I close my eyes it's all I see,  
I get lost inside a timeless memory.  
And no matter what I do or where I roam,  
I will still be dreaming my way home._

Looking up, Kazumi could faintly see Yamihebi through her lashes as she tried to think on what he was really thinking. That he was really trying to help her, or that he was after something. Either way, she had to think… had to keep singing and keep her thoughts on the lyrics that seemed to come to her as she listened to the song. Was this just a natural talent that she has or something she got from her dad?

_Every time I close my eyes it's all I see,  
I am haunted by a timeless memory  
and no matter what I do, or where I roam  
Oh I will still be dreaming my way home_

Kazumi felt like she was going to fall down onto the couch. Her legs were shaking as she heard the word 'haunted' and the words 'timeless memory'. It was as if she was seeing the memory that had caused her to have problems with singing all over again. Taking a deep breath, she tried to get herself to relax, tried to get her legs to stop shaking. Sadly, the shaking had only worsened and spread through her whole body, for soon her whole body was shaking like she was cold when really, she was just scared.

_Oh I will still be dreaming my way home._

Looking up at Yamihebi, she saw that he was just simply smiling at her. Did he really like it that she sings in front of him? Or was it something else? What could possibly be going through his mind was something that she really wanted to know but… maybe it was just something that she really didn't need to know.

* * *

After Kazumi had left, Yamihebi was putting his stereo away as he sighed softly. Looking around the house, he saw that it was pretty lonely here while he was in this house. Frowning, he sat down on the couch and just leaned back, removing his blindfold as he started to rub his eyes.

Everything that was happening just seemed so stressful. He felt like the mission that he was on just seemed to be eating away at him but why that was, he didn't know. Was it because of the conflicting emotions that were swimming around in his head or was it something else? Sighing softly, he pushed himself up and grabbed his blindfold, knowing that since no one was in the house with him that he didn't need to worry about it.

Looking out the window, Yamihebi couldn't help but just frown a little bit. Everything seemed to be moving way too fast. Frowning, he wondered why he was complaining about this moving too fast. It wasn't like he was dating someone. Even though Kazumi was… cute. _'Wait; did I really just call Kazumi cute? And why is my heart beating so fast thinking about her?'_ thought Yamihebi as he blinked his gold eyes as he tried to think on what he's going through.

Was he sick? Is there something wrong with his heart that he wasn't aware of? Frowning, Yamihebi shook his head before he pushed himself back up onto his feet and went to the shower maybe that would get his thoughts straight and his heart to stop beating so quickly.


	10. Chapter 10

_What am I going to do? I don't know what I'm going to do with the weird way my heart is beating so quickly. Was my mission only going to get harder and harder as I keep going with this stupid mission?_

Yamihebi sighed softly after he had his shower. He had to get to school but had been running late. Not to mention he didn't know the path to get to school from the guest house. It was like finding a needle in a haystack, though in this case it was trying to find the school in the big city which of course only makes this all the harder for him.

Not to mention, every time he was around Kazumi, his heart beat would rise to the point where he could hear it ringing in his sensitive ears. It had him a little worried but he didn't know why it was happening before. Was it some kind of emotion that he wasn't aware of or was he just ill?

Shaking his head, the young man walked out of the bathroom and reached for his blindfold, the one thing he hated to wear but it was to protect those around him. His brother and sister were lucky; they don't have the same power as he does… It was something that he had never wanted, but sadly he didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

Looking up at the mirror, Yamihebi saw his long hair hanging over his shoulders and his bangs hanging over his blindfold once more. Maybe he should trim his bangs a little soon or just let it grow out like the rest of his hair. Shaking his head, he started to brush the ling silky locks as well as he could given how long it was. Taking a deep breath the young man grabbed his white t-shirt, his black sleeveless jacket, his camo pants and his black socks. Looking up, he saw that he was presentable but, he still had to tie his hair back but for now he would leave it down for now.

Staring at his reflection, Yamihebi wondered if he had controlled that curse of his. Maybe… it wouldn't hurt to give it a try right? Gulping, he slowly, carefully reached up to his face, trying to pace himself. To prepare himself for what he wondered would come. Though before he came within centimetres of the object, his phone started to go off, causing him to curse out "damn it." Reaching out toward the counter, he picked up his phone and answered. "What do you want?"

"That anyway to greet your sister?"

Oh NOW his sister decides to call him and be more civil. Kinda late now that he thought about it since she was nothing more than a robot under their mother's control. Shaking his head, he turned around, his back facing the mirror behind the sink as he leaned against the counter. He knew that his sister was calling for their mother, checking on him to make sure that he was still with them on their plan. Taking a deep breath, Yamihebi asked "what do you need?"

"It isn't want I need, but what mother needs."

Called it… he so called it.

"And what does mother need? Want to make sure that I'm still with you all in this plan?" Yamihebi asked with a roll of his eyes. So happy that his mother cared enough to have his _sister_ call to see that he was still in the plan. Why was it that no matter what he just couldn't escape his mother? Sure, he could easily change his number but no, she would only find the number with her 'people' working for her.

"Mother only wanted to make sure that you are doing what you've been told to do. If you don't, you know what mother will do to you." With that said and done, his sister hung up. Oh wow, his sister was really a social piraya or whatever the word was. Either way, he snapped his phone shut and jammed it into his pocket, right now all he wanted was to just finish getting ready for school and get the hell outta here.

Taking a deep breath, the young man looked at his reflection once more. Now was the only chance he would get before he would become late for school. Narrowing his eyes behind his blindfold, he knew that right now was the moment of truth over his powers. Would the damn curse or 'power' be under control or would it remain until he could find the conflict that was in his life and solve it? "I'm not a coward." He declared before reaching up and ripping his blindfold off and tossed it aside from him.

Yamihebi had his eyes shut for a moment. Wanting to prepare himself for what he feared would be to come. Breathing deeply, the black haired teen prayed that this wouldn't happen but he had to know, he had to know what was going to happen. Carefully, he started to open his eyes, at first his vision was a little blurred but it was starting to clear up a bit. So far, nothing was happening so maybe he had control over his powers and nothing was going to happen to him or anyone that was around him anymore.

Finally, his vision started to clear and his reflection was his only reward. Though he still didn't fully look at himself, he mostly just looked at the bottom of the mirror, afraid to look up. Tightly shutting his eyes, he thought _'am I really free of the curse?'_ thought the young man before he slowly started to look up and open his eyes.

Soon, pain started to shoot through his very core of his body. Yamihebi didn't think that the curse was broken but at the time, it didn't hurt to try huh… Unable to move, he felt like someone was hitting him with fifteen dump trucks and two hundred buses and five ships. Either way, the pain was unbearable and he felt like he was going to die with this amount of pain.

_'Make this stop!'_ he shouted at himself, praying that this pain would be over soon, that he would be able to get this pain to stop on his own but it seemed that he couldn't move, couldn't do anything to get this to stop.

The pain started to burn through his veins, making its way to both his heart and his brain. Everything started to spin. His stomach started to feel sick to the point where he wanted to throw up but he had nothing in his stomach to even vomit. When he could finally move, his shaky hand held onto the counter, trying to stay up. His vision started to darken at the edges, slowly starting to take over his sight.

Before the young man knew it, he had lost consciousness.

* * *

"…hebi…"

Who's talking to him? It was a woman's voice that was for sure and… what was shaking his shoulder? Groaning, Yamihebi just wanted to sleep more, his body still ached and it still felt like he was being run over by something. But the voice, it came in and out from his hearing, though whoever it was was close to him.

"Yami…"

"Go away…" groaned Yamihebi, his body still screamed at him, even talking was a pain for him. It seemed that his demand was left unheard, for the woman kept on shaking him trying to get him to wake up. Whining, Yamihebi slowly started to open his eyes for a moment. Only to close them again, it was a chore just to keep his eyes open but he knew that he saw someone sitting in front of him.

Opening his eyes again, Yamihebi's vision cleared a little for him and the colourful outfit that this woman was wearing was all he could see. "Who…" was all he could say, not able to speak anymore. Not with how much his body ached… stupid curse.

"It's me, Kazumi…" As soon as she had said that, Yamihebi's eyes widened in shock before he shut his eyes. Damn it, why did Kazumi have to be in here?! What if he had… damn it! "You didn't answer your door when I knocked and… I thought something happened to you so I came in. I'm sorry… I was scared that something happened to you." Had she really been that worried about him?

Groaning, he whispered "hand me my blindfold…" He didn't know what happened to his blindfold when he passed out, though what he did know was that he couldn't risk opening his eyes if Kazumi stared at him… he didn't know what kind of pain she would go through. Just thinking about it made his heart ache and he still didn't know why!

Kazumi sounded confused when she had asked him why he wanted his blindfold. Of course she wouldn't know, she wouldn't understand the burden that he has to go through every day, and he never expected her to ever find out. Taking a deep breath, he said "I uh… can't see at the moment. I guess I hit something pretty hard." He hoped that sounded convincing, at least more than he made it seem. Before he knew it, he felt something touching his hand, dragging the pads of his thumb and index finger on it; he knew that it was his blindfold.

Pushing himself to sit up, Yamihebi took the cloth from Kazumi and started to tie it over his eyes and sighed softly. This was going to be one hell of a day he had to deal with. Though, he hoped that this was going to be easier than this morning was.

* * *

"Yamihebi, will you sing something first?" asked Kazumi when they arrived at the school. This of course, caused the young man to stare at Kazumi in confusion. They had arrived to the school after his body had relaxed enough for him to move out of the bathroom and able to move his limbs without screaming in agony.

"Why?"

"Well… you've heard me sing and… I never heard you sing."

"You did on the first day of school…"

"But not up close."

Okay, she had a point there. Scratching the back of his head, he nodded. Not to mention, thankful that he had brought his guitar in case he needed it for his music class. Looking at Kazumi, he wondered if she would even like the song that he had in mind for him to sing, it was something that to him… almost felt like it reflected his life. Hell, he never even let his siblings hear him sing it for they wouldn't really understand. But… he felt like Kazumi would fully understand.

Walking into the gym, he calmly said "alright… just grab a chair while I set up okay?" Seeing Kazumi nod, he went over to the corner of the gym and started to set up everything that he needed. Getting an amp ready, he plugged in his guitar and started to get it in tune. Making sure that he had it right in tune for this song, he looked up at the ceiling, wondering if this song was dark for Kazumi… at least with how bright she was… her life had been filled with light while his had been filled with a bitter darkness.

Turning around, he saw Kazumi sitting down on a chair that she had pulled from the storage room on the other side of the gym and saw her sparkling eyes staring at him. She was waiting for him to start playing and… to him he felt like his heart had skipped a beat within his chest, like it was fluttering as he stared at her.

Looking at the neck of his guitar he started to strum the strings…

_As time passes slowly I look up into the sky,  
and I see a light that glitters so bright.  
I believe, and I want to keep walking round the world,  
to spread bright memories far and wide..._

Yamihebi knew that the song was soft, he wasn't even sure if she would even like it. Though his voice… it sounded sad. There were so many things in his heart that he wanted people to know but at the same time, he didn't. Knowing that no one would accept him, not if they knew the truth of what he was.

_My dreams, they are dreams that no one else can ever see.  
I sacrificed all of the things I didn't really need.  
I cannot rid myself of thoughts that remain deep inside of me._

Tapping his foot to the beat of his guitar, Yamihebi knew that if he didn't have this blindfold on, they would see that his eyes were closed. Bobbing his head up and down he threw his head back as if he was going to scream at the world for denying him acceptance.

_And I'm stuck between reality and my perfect ideals,  
The shackles of my sacrifice grasp tightly at my feet.  
I cannot repress the impulses I'm feeling now,  
Because my heavy heart desires all my dreams to be found._

Lolling his head to the side, his voice once again almost seemed sad. In a way, he was stuck in between reality and his ideals. He wanted to play music for a living; he wanted to live his own life. But, he had been neglected of his dream and his ideals. He had given up much of himself to be the puppet his mother wanted. She wanted an obedient son that would do as she wanted.

_Deception fear and vanity and melancholy too...  
I'm strong; I'm not affected by these.  
Someone who is weaker won't be able to resist,  
You haven't seen the last of me yet..._

Looking over at Kazumi, he could see something in her eyes. Was she able to get some hidden message in his song that he didn't really understand or was it something else? Sure he was pouring his own inner pain into this song but, could Kazumi feel that pain or was it just all in his mind set? Frowning, he looked away from her, unable to look her in the eye anymore.

_I look up into the sky, the light has disappeared.  
Buildings block the stars from view, and fill the night with fear.  
With dread, I ask myself one thing. Am I lost, or is brightness near?_

Looking up at the sky, Yamihebi felt like his light had really disappeared when he was a child. He lost his father; he didn't have a love of a mother… all he ever knew was anger, hatred and fear. Anger that he grew up without a father. Hatred for not having a childhood like other children and having to do his mother's bidding. And finally, fear of his mother's power.

_And the city never sleeps, it only overflows with life.  
But I won't be influenced, I won't let love waste my time.  
At the end of my long path that leads to the future,  
I feel something, I'm grasping tight, what is it I'm holding onto?_

Now that he thought about it… he did feel like he was grasping onto something tightly. Not physically but… well he didn't really know. But it felt like he was drowning in a way, and that his lifeline was what he was holding onto. Taking a deep breath, he looked up and stared at Kazumi, his eyes widened behind his blindfold, making him think that maybe… his lifeline was Kazumi.

_When I close my eyes,  
I float on a sea made up of the senses I feel.  
Then I envision it, the day when my dream becomes real,  
it's within my grasp..._

Closing his eyes, the young man felt like he was really floating on some kind of sea. A sea of forbidden emotions that he could never feel growing up. They had been locked away deep in his heart and, telling him to never feel these emotions or he would feel his mother's wrath. Biting his lip for a moment, Yamihebi had to be careful not to break the skin, not again at least.

_To just be accepted by this world and rot away.  
Living your whole life like that is really not okay...  
Go towards forbidden places, where no one else has been,  
Go ahead, keep going, you will see a crystal known as me._

Looking away, he wanted to be accepted in this world. He wanted to be accepted by those around him and not be seen as some kind of tool by his mother. Looking over at Kazumi, Yamihebi remembered how worried she had sounded when he didn't answer her. Did Kazumi accept him or just the front that he put up? Now that he thought about it, the more he wondered if maybe… if she knew the truth of what he really was… she would run away screaming.

_Piercing with ferocity through the simplicity,  
looking for the truth that was lost somewhere.  
I want to keep following the truth that I believe.  
It's just my faith. The absolute truth._

Once he was done, Kazumi just stared at him in awe for a moment before she started to clap her hands. Did she… really like it? Frowning in confusion, Yamihebi just shook his head in shock. It was amazing that she would even like the song but hey, right now he wasn't going to complain. Giving her a small smile, he calmly said "alright Kazumi, it's your turn to sing. And, well I think you might like the song that I picked for you." He chuckled softly before putting the CD into the CD player and started to get it set up for Kazumi.

Looking over at her he saw that she didn't look as nervous as she normally is. Maybe… maybe hearing him sing made her feel a little better. Did his singing help her relax a little bit or was it something else? Shaking his head, the young man went to the right track and pressed play, hoping that Kazumi knew the words to this song.

_I know there's something in the wake of your smile.  
I get a notion from the look in your eyes, yea.  
You've built a love but that love falls apart.  
Your little piece of heaven turns too dark._

Kazumi seemed a little more at peace, and even happy. It was amazing that just hearing him sing to have such an effect on her. Yamihebi couldn't help but give her a small smile at her. Yamihebi took a seat as he listened to Kazumi sing, yup; he picked a good version of this song for Kazumi to sing.

_Listen to your heart  
when he's calling for you.  
Listen to your heart  
there's nothing else you can do.  
I don't know where you're going  
and I don't know why,  
but listen to your heart  
before you tell him goodbye._

Soon, Kazumi placed her hands over her heart, her voice sounded sad. Matching the song perfectly, like she was really sad to say goodbye to a dear friend of loved one. Would she be sad if she knew the truth about him or when he would have to leave? Wait, why did he care if she was sad about anything?

_Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile.  
The precious moments are all lost in the tide, yea.  
They're swept away and nothing is what is seems,  
the feeling of belonging to your dreams._

Closing her eyes, Kazumi kept on singing, tears started to stream down her eyes, rolling down her cheeks. Why was she crying? Were those tears of the pain that she had kept deep within her heart all these years or were they tears of joy? Frowning, bent forward in his seat a bit as he tried to figure out what she was crying about.

_Listen to your heart  
when he's calling for you.  
Listen to your heart  
there's nothing else you can do.  
I don't know where you're going  
and I don't know why,  
but listen to your heart  
before you tell him goodbye._

Kazumi refused to open her eyes as she sang. Was it too painful for her to open her eyes to stare at him? Frowning, the young man leaned back in his seat as he stared at Kazumi. Seeing her tears… he wanted to jump from his seat and wrap his arms around her. _'Wait why do I?'_ thought Yamihebi with a frown. He's been acting weird since his heart was beating quickly around her. Was there something wrong with him in his head now?

_And there are voices  
that want to be heard.  
So much to mention  
but you can't find the words.  
The scent of magic,  
the beauty that's been  
when love was wilder than the wind._

Kazumi opened her eyes a little, the tears still flowing though she didn't look sad at all. In fact, she almost seemed happy now. Frowning, Yamihebi thought that girls were confusing and maybe he was right. Though right now, he knew that he did care about Kazumi a bit, though for some reason, it felt so much deeper than that.

_Listen to your heart  
when he's calling for you.  
Listen to your heart  
there's nothing else you can do.  
I don't know where you're going  
and I don't know why,  
but listen to your heart  
before you tell him goodbye._

Was Kazumi going to be sad that he wouldn't be with her forever? Or was she worried about when he had been found on the floor out cold? Did she think that there was something wrong with him that could possibly take him away? Shaking his head, Yamihebi pushed himself up and started to walk over to Kazumi wondering if she was going to be okay.

_Listen to your heart, mm-mmmmmm_

_I don't know where you're going  
and I don't know why,  
but listen to your heart  
before you tell him goodbye._

Once she was done singing, it seemed that the water works had started to really flow. Yamihebi felt his heart clench in his chest. Like someone's icy cold hand wrapped itself around his heart. Grabbing Kazumi's hand, he pulled her close and held her in his arms where she just cried. At that time, it was when he knew, that she wasn't crying out of joy or sadness, but out of the pain that she held within her heart since she was a kid… the pain she kept when she lost her self-confidence…

Though, the question that wouldn't leave him alone was this… _'What do I feel for Kazumi?'_


	11. Chapter 11

_This was it, the last and final step for Kazumi. This was going to be hard, I just know it for the last song that she is going to sing is not only the song that had ruined her life as a child, but it will be the one that saves her in the end. But, the real thing that bothers me is… have I truly fallen for Kazumi?_

Yamihebi looked in the mirror, (after putting on his blindfold of course) as he brushed his teeth. He couldn't believe how far Kazumi came with her fear of crowds and singing. Hell, he had found it amazing that she cared about him and that she had even asked him for his help in the first place.

Pulling out his tooth brush, Yamihebi couldn't help but give a sad smile. Kazumi wouldn't need his help anymore and now… he felt like someone was crushing his heart in their hand. Shaking his head, the young man ran a hand through his crimson bangs as he started to get ready for the karaoke bar that he had made arrangements for. Sure, it was crowded but Kazumi would have to learn to sing in front of crowds. It was the only way that she would get over her fears.

After setting his tooth brush back in the holder, Yamihebi grabbed his mouthwash and started to rinse out his mouth while in deep thought.

_'Would mother's plan still work or would I have to go deeper into the mission?'_ thought the teen as he frowned a bit. Shaking his head, he tried to get his head in the game, but it seemed that no matter what, he couldn't get his mind off of Kazumi. For the last few days, he's had dreams of her, thoughts about her… his skin would flush, his palms sweat, his heart racing and having trouble talking to her sometimes. Like his tongue had been removed from his skull or something.

Frowning, Yamihebi bent forward and spat out the mouthwash and cringed. What did all of these things mean to him? Or for that matter to anyone? Clenching his hand into a tight fist, he tried to get his emotions and thoughts in check but, no matter what he did the things that flashed through his mind just didn't make a lick of sense to him at all.

Tightly shutting his eyes, Yamihebi tried to get his thoughts to clear themselves of Kazumi. Just wanting to have the thoughts that he normally would have swimming in his mind. But, it seemed that there was a sign in his head saying 'gone fishing for the day' or something. Though in this case, it would be gone a lot longer.

Forcing himself to finish up, the young man walked out of the bathroom and started to walk on toward the door to put his shoes on. Just as he was about to walk out the door, he stared at the smiling face of Kazumi when he had opened the door. Eyes widening in shock, he couldn't help but stare at her. His face was bright red, her eyes sparkling with joy. Were his palms starting to sweat?

"Uh… Kazumi, what are you doing?" asked Yamihebi, trying to act cool. Like nothing was wrong with him though really there was definitely something wrong with him. Gulping, Yamihebi didn't know what Kazumi would be doing at his place so early.

"I thought we could go somewhere for a walk. Unless you have some plans already?" Kazumi said with a tilt of her head. Her lavender coloured eyes almost looking sad. Damn it, did she have such power over him with just the simplest of looks or what? Frowning, he sighed, his head bowing forward for a moment as he ran a hand through his bangs. Knowing fully well that he couldn't defy Kazumi anything at this point. It just wasn't right to do this to her and he knew that.

Looking up at her once more, Yamihebi nodded as he said "alright, I was gonna take you to a karaoke bar to help you. If you can get past singing in front of a crowd…" As soon as he saw her face light up in joy, he felt his heart skip a beat when he saw her smile. It was amazing that was for sure but… _'I have to have her happy at all time…'_

"Can I bring a friend?" she asked suddenly.

"Sure… who?"

"Ryu, he's been my friend since we were kids."

Suddenly, Yamihebi felt like his heart shattered. She was going to invite a guy to come with them? Wait, why did he care in the first place? It wasn't like they were dating or he had any kind of feelings for Kazumi in any shape or form! Right?

Shaking his head, he calmly said "sure, so long as he doesn't have a problem with me he can come." Why he agreed to it, he didn't know but somehow, deep in his heart he felt like Kazumi would have been happier with someone that she knew her whole life rather than be stuck with a guy like him for another day than she had to.

Checking his pockets, Yamihebi made sure that he had his wallet and the keys for the guest house before he left with Kazumi. How could this get any worse for the two of them right? Not like her friend was a pervert right?

* * *

"Hey, Kazumi… your hair is beautiful today…" said Ryu with a grin. Ryu was a slim teen, short black hair with two locks framing his face though slick and smooth in the back. The locks that framed his face were the longest strands of hair on his head. His green eyes sparkled in the lights from the room though within their depths was the desire to be with a woman.

His clothes were a tight black shirt and matching black jeans. What was he trying to do? Make black look good? Hell he liked wearing black as much as the next guy but come on, there was such thing as too much black.

"Thank you Ryu, Yamihebi, this is Ryu. His parents were in my dad's band when they were teens." Calmly said Kazumi after meeting up with Ryu in the Karaoke Bar. Sometimes, he wondered if Kazumi's parents and Ryu's parents hadn't been friends, would Kazumi be friends with this guy? Well, he didn't think he'd ever know for sure but what he did know was that he was going to make sure that Kazumi never dated this guy! He wasn't good enough for her and he knew that for sure and- wait why did he care who she dated?

Ryu just grinned as he said "so, what do you guys want to eat? I'm up for anything… want me to pay for your meal Kazumi?" Oh how Yamihebi wished he could glare at this guy with now but thanks to his blindfold he couldn't even do that at the moment.

Narrowing his eyes behind his blindfold, the crimsoned banged teen calmly said "sorry Ryu, but I had already offered to buy Kazumi her meal." He couldn't help but smirk, he had this guy beat. Though, what he hadn't expected to hear was a voice deep in his head. _'That's right, make sure that no one steals our woman…'_ Blinking in confusion, Yamihebi looked around the room wondering if someone had been talking to him but didn't see anyone. That was a little confusing but he said nothing or made any comment on it, at least for now.

"So, Yamihebi right? What do you do hm?" asked Ryu with a big grin on his face.

"I'm in a band with my brother and sister at the school." He sighed softly; Ryu was acting like an older brother. Though, at the moment he didn't care, no one was going to have Kazumi! Ugh there he was again, why did he care who Kazumi dated or not? It wasn't like he owned her at all. Taking a deep breath, he calmly said "Ryu, tell us what you want to order and go sing or something."

Ryu just grinned before he headed up onto stage and went to pick a song. Yamihebi was happy that Ryu had left even if it was to pick a song it gave him some peace of mind. Taking a deep breath, Yamihebi looked over at Kazumi and blushed softly before he started to look away from her. He couldn't bear to stare at her anymore… his heart kept on beating so deeply.

"You okay Yamihebi?" asked Kazumi as she tilted her head, her long silky locks of hair draped over her shoulder and framed her face beautiful. His heart rate was increasing and it was starting to get painful. Gulping, Yamihebi just raised his hand for a waiter before telling him what everyone wanted. Hoping, praying that it would distract him from his beating heart.

Shaking his head, the young man turned to Kazumi, her gaze still on him as she waited for his answer. Damn it, he had to answer her didn't he? Looking down, he calmly said "I'm okay, just… I don't really know. I'm confused; I think I've come down with something." Looking up at her, he saw Kazumi's concerned look on her face, like she was about to bring him back to the house but he lifted his hand and waved as if saying "don't worry about me Kazumi, I'm fine for now." He gave her a smile before turning to the stage and saw that Ryu had picked a song.

_Changing seasons color the streets  
time passes by while I gaze up at the sky  
Your tears falling down on me_

It seems that he has, for as soon as he had looked up at the stage, he wore a head piece as he started to sing. Yamihebi had to admit, this guy could really sing even if he still didn't like Ryu at all in the least. Looking over at Kazumi, he saw that she just smiled. He had to know, he just had to know if Kazumi had any kind of feelings for Ryu at all…

_I push aside my sorrows  
My dreams are far away,  
even though they seem so close  
I lost sight of everything_

Kazumi just placed her chin on her palm, her elbow resting on the table as she listened to Ryu sing. Looking up, Yamihebi saw that all the girls were pretty much throwing themselves at him. Ryu must be very popular with the girls if they were acting that way around him even if he was only singing.

_My memories in a book  
Mind is out of place,  
and no-one sees my face  
My eyes lose the light,  
whilst my shadow blends in the dark_

Falling down onto his knees, Ryu held out his hand to the girls, they all just squealed and cheered while trying to grab his hand. Though, Ryu had pushed himself up onto his feet, his feet moving around to the beat as if he was trying to do some kind of strange style of dance.

_That promise, we made then, we went to keep it  
I don't know how to get it back  
These pieces all scattering  
All over this broken town  
I promise I'll wake up, end up still dreaming  
these memories I'll never forget  
You'll always be, forever be, in my heart_

"I thought Ryu gave up trying to dance…" mumbled Kazumi, this of course caused Yamihebi to turn and stare at her with an eyebrow raised at her. What did she mean by that? Tilting his head, he was about to ask but it seemed that she knew what he had been going to ask. Did she know that he heard her or was it just normal for her to answer anyway? "Ryu never was much of a dancer as a kid and now he's trying again."

_The wind blows beneath the surface  
The land is fading, people lose their way  
Memories return,  
still no sight of anything_

Ryu had his head rolling along his shoulders, as if he was going through some kind of emotional pain. Well, it seemed that he could act and sing. Dancing though not so much. It almost looked like he was close to falling on his butt and growl out in pain. Taking a deep breath, Yamihebi crossed his arms and leaned back into his seat as he waited for him to just hurry up and get this song done with. He was going to show anyone how to really sing and dance.

_My memories in a book,  
Mind is out of place,  
this road begins my chase,  
My eyes hide the lies,  
whilst my words get lost in the dark_

Kazumi looked up at Yamihebi as she asked "you going to sing next?" He just smirked and nodded. Oh yeah, he was going to sing alright though, he couldn't help but try to think on what song he was going to pick. Frowning softly, the young man stretched a bit as he went into deep thought trying to think on what to do.

_I try to pretend, the strength within me,  
When clearly, these feelings break my heart  
The answers trapped, in the past, then I ask  
Will the seasons part my start?  
Futile, useless, no forgiveness,  
Questions answered with the silence  
Even in the changing seasons the air is always cold  
I want to know -_

Ryu sank onto his feet though he had a small smile on his face. As if he was proud of something. What was Ryu up to hm? He had to be after Kazumi, why else would he try to sing at all for that matter? Narrowing his eyes, the young man tried to get himself to calm down and relax. He was trying to play the 'sensitive' bit, just so the girls would go for him but what he was really after was Kazumi. No one would have her damn it!

_Riding this merry go round,  
Then escape to the darkness - no sound_

_Take my hand tonight, lets embrace the light, in our hearts_

Once the song was over and done with, Ryu took off the headset and went to the table after putting the headsets back. Ryu just grinned at Kazumi as he said "what did you think Kazumi?" Kazumi just smiled and had told him that he did okay with it. Though, that only served to boil Yamihebi's anger all the more. He wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Kazumi smiled as she started to take a sip of her drink. It seemed that she was going to get herself ready for when she would go up. Though, deep in her eyes, he could tell that she was still scared and nervous. Not that he could blame her for it. This was a big crowd. Maybe it was best that he went before her.

Shaking his head, Yamihebi pushed himself up as he said "stay here Kazumi." He had made sure that his voice was soft and gentle, yet caring. He gave her a soft smile before making his way to the stage. Yamihebi knew that this was going to be stupid since he didn't have a song at the top of his head at the moment but for the time being, he knew that he would have to just pick one or look like a fool.

Taking a deep breath, Yamihebi just picked a random song and grabbed the microphone as he got himself ready for this song. Inhaling deeply, he tried to get himself ready, tried to get himself to relax. Yamihebi knew that he would have to get himself to relax for if he looked nervous, he just knew that it would only have Kazumi nervous when it was her turn.

_I can't escape this hell  
So many times I've tried  
But I'm still caged inside  
Somebody get me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself_

The music started and Yamihebi knew he had picked a bad song. To him, it felt like this song would give out too much information… possibly anyway. Though, he still sang this song anyway. It did suit him, it matched his life. Like how he was in his own personal hell, with the life that his mother had him in.

_So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one would ever change this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal  
(This animal, this animal)_

Every time animal was said, it made him think of the animal that was deep within him. It was like a monster was deep within his heart and he knew that it would only be a matter of time before the monster had been unleashed. Taking a deep breath, the young man knew that the monster that was deep within him was nothing but a monster.

_I can't escape myself  
(I can't escape myself)  
So many times I've lied  
(So many times I've lied)  
But there's still rage inside  
Somebody get me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself_

It's true, he could never escape himself. It was like he was forever running down a tunnel that would forever be his nightmare. The lies he's said like the ones to Kazumi that he just couldn't bring himself to say to her. Taking a deep breath, the young man tried to get his fried nerves to relax.

_So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one would ever change this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal_

Yamihebi allowed his dark emotions to flare for just a moment. As if his inner monster had taken control for just a brief moment. Only for it to sink back into his body. He couldn't let that happen again, there was no way of knowing what was going to happen. The last time that had happened, he had blacked out and had no memory of what had happened but he knew, that he had done something wrong.

_Somebody help me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself  
Somebody wake me from this nightmare  
I can't escape this hell_

_(This animal, this animal,  
this animal, this animal, this animal,  
this animal, this animal)_

Taking a deep breath, Yamihebi had himself starting to relax once more. It was becoming a chore just to do that anymore, like the more he let the emotions bury themselves deep into his heart that the more trouble he had. It was like he was a balloon just waiting to burst from all the built up emotions that was deep within his heart.

_So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one will ever change this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal  
(This animal I have become)_

Once the song was done, Yamihebi fell to his knees, as if he had been drained of his energy. Had he poured all of his energy into singing or had the stress finally caught up with him? Shaking his head, the young man made his way toward the table and started to drink something. His hand shaking a little bit like his nerves were shot.

"You okay?" asked Kazumi with a concerned frown on her face.

Taking a deep breath, Yamihebi looked up at Kazumi and gave her a soft smile. It was amazing that she would be that concerned about someone like him. Chuckling, Yamihebi smiled as he said "I'm fine, just tired… I didn't sleep well last night." Taking a deep breath, the teenager grabbed his drink and drank as much as he could, hoping that would give him some energy or something.

"So, Kazumi you gonna go up and sing?" asked Ryu as he tilted his head to the side.

Kazumi smiled a bit, still a little nervous. Yamihebi could feel it in waves before she pushed herself up and went toward the stage. He didn't think that she would be able to handle it but for the time being, he had hoped that she would get through this song. Since, after all he had picked the song for her already giving the guy Kazumi's description so they would pick the song for her. She had to get over her problem before it ruined her life.

_My heart is beating, my heart is racing  
Faster, louder when you're near  
It drives me crazy when you look at me  
With those pretty eyes_

"I'm amazed that Kazumi is singing again…" said Ryu as he took a sip of his water. Yamihebi blinked and stared at the black haired teen with confusion. He sounded serious for a change. Which, was a little odd since the whole time he's spoken to him all he's done was be… well… well he wasn't serious. Not at all… "When Kazumi had told me someone was helping her with singing, I had a feeling it was you… and well, I'd like to say thank you."

_I want to come closer  
But you might just walk away  
Say hello, don't tell a lie or I'll say goodbye, my love!_

"Thank me?" Yamihebi said in confusion.

"Of course, Naruto had asked me to try to get Kazumi to sing again. But she had refused every time even if she wasn't aware that her dad wanted me to help her." Ryu chuckled for a moment before he looked down sadly. He took a deep breath as he whispered "I even… well, I had hoped that Kazumi would sing for me because… I guess you could say, I had hoped she would love me, like how I loved her."

"I knew it! You have feelings for Kazumi! Well I won't let you have her!" growled out Yamihebi only to blush and sit back down and took a deep breath feeling like he had just made a fool of himself.

_Shout Friends, come hear the echo dance through the world  
Let's sing songs of truth and let the story unfold  
Ring Bells, and let it chime for you and me  
I'll knock on your door, It's time to tell the true story_

Ryu chuckled as he said "I wouldn't have been surprised if you had feelings for Kazumi. A lot of people have but all could never get her love in return. So don't get your hopes up." Yamihebi wasn't sure if he was being serious or messing with him. But, was that why he's been acting weird? Was because he was… having feelings for Kazumi? Is this what love felt like?

_I'm living my life all easygoing but my heart will feel blue  
And in the end i get all anxious, you're in my mind all day_

Looking down, the young man didn't know what he should do. He couldn't have… is that why his heart had been beating so quickly? Why he felt like no one should have Kazumi but him or was that just being obsessed? He didn't know all he knew was that he was confused and it was really starting to bother him at the moment. "There is no way Kazumi could love someone like me…" whispered Yamihebi before he sank in his seat a little bit.

_One step at a time love, you can make things happen  
Change yourself, keep on believing, i will stand by your side_

"What do you mean?"

"I… I guess you can say that I have a lot of secrets myself." He gave a sad smile before he lied his head on his table. Damn it, why did this have to be so complicated all the time? It was as if he was having conflicted emotions swirling deep within himself, like a storm or a whirlpool.

_Just find, the truth is out, it's time to rejoice  
My heart melts whenever i hear your lovely voice  
Shake hands, our fingers entwined, not letting go  
The truth will shine like stars, and i smile coz i have you_

"Yamihebi… don't you dare hurt Kazumi." Said Ryu, sounded dead serious. And that was something that had caused the crimson banged teen to lift his head from the table and just stare at him with confusion written all over his face. Ryu growled for a moment as he said "if you hurt her, I'm going to kick your ass understand?!" All he could do was nod in understanding before he turned to Kazumi, happy that he was able to listen to Ryu and to Kazumi at the same time.

_Shout Friends, come hear the echo dance through the world  
Let's sing songs of truth and let the story unfold  
Ring Bells, and let it chime for you and me  
Let's open the door, our love will tell the true story_

Once the song was done, Kazumi was breathing heavily and was sweating. Though, her smile was bright and radiant. It was as if she was a new woman all together. Maybe, it had been the best for him to have come into Kazumi's life for now… she could go on with her life with no more problems with crowds or singing in front of people. Yamihebi couldn't help but smile at her…

Right now, life sure was sweet but… would that sweetness only go sour?


	12. Chapter 12

_Ryu's words echoed through my mind… I had fallen for Kazumi and yet I didn't know it. Why haven't I noticed all this time? Was it because I didn't know what real love was even when I looked at examples from Naruto and Hinata? Or was it because I didn't want to admit it because of my tainted blood and soul? When I thought that my life couldn't get more complicated, it had for tonight… I wished that I could forget it even if I don't remember most of it… though the face Kazumi showed me, would forever be burned into my mind forever…_

Yamihebi sighed softly as he started to walk back with Kazumi and Ryu. Ryu had offered to walk with them since his house was on the way back to Kazumi's and the guest house. Though he hated it that Kazumi's friend was with them at the moment. What bothered him the most was what the black haired teen had said while Kazumi sang.

Digging his hands into his pockets, Yamihebi didn't know what he should do. His heart told him that he should tell Kazumi the truth, about everything but at the same time, his mind was telling him that it was best that she didn't know. There was no way that she would understand him at all, hell she would be afraid of him. His soul, was after all nothing but darkness surrounded by the very blood he carried.

"You okay Yamihebi?" came Kazumi's concerned voice, causing him to come out of his thoughts and turn to her. The blonde's concerned lavender coloured eyes stared at him, his heart started to beat quickly but he knew that he shouldn't allow himself to feel like this. Turning away, Yamihebi started to walk on ahead, just wanting to remain in his own thoughts. Though it seemed that Kazumi didn't want to leave him alone. She grabbed his hand as she whispered "please… tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing… I'm fine, just thinking about some stuff that's all. Don't worry." He tried to smile, he really did but it felt more like a grimace. Like he couldn't force himself to cheer her up at all, like he was stuck in a pool of self-loathing and pity, something he couldn't escape from.

Ryu walked up to Yamihebi as he said "come on, you might as well tell us what's going on." Yamihebi just glared at Ryu and growled at him softly, which had caused both teens to back away with wide eyes. Okay, that wasn't how he had planned for them to get out of his personal space but it had worked. Taking a deep breath, the long black haired teen started to keep walking. The moon was full and he could feel the power started to form within him. His blood boiling it was just that time of month where the blood he kept dormant would try to bubble to the surface.

Taking a deep breath, Yamihebi frowned when he sensed that something was wrong. Looking around, he turned to Ryu and Kazumi as he asked "do you guys feel like something is… wrong?" Seeing their frowns, he had a feeling that it was only him that had sensed it at the moment. Shaking his head, Yamihebi whispered "never mind then." He gave a smile before he started to walk on forward once more, just wanting to get as far away as possible from this place, though stayed close enough so Kazumi would get home safely.

The sound of feet scuffling through the shadows caused the teen to keep his guard up, he was a little nervous. Was this all in his head or was there danger around them all?

"Yo, Yamihebi why do you wear the blindfold anyway?" asked Ryu.

"I have my reasons that I do not wish to say," answered Yamihebi.

Suddenly, Yamihebi felt a strange chill go down his spine, danger was near. Narrowing his eyes, he looked around and saw shadows running by in his line of vision. Someone else was here. Acting quickly, he grabbed onto Kazumi's wrist and started to run with both Kazumi and Ryu. "Run!" shouted Yamihebi as he tried to run as fast as he could without causing Kazumi to trip or fall.

Ryu could easily run with Yamihebi, though that was also because he wasn't using his full power at the moment. "What's going on Yamihebi?" said Ryu, well more like he demanded to know.

"Someone is following us, I'm hoping we can lose them." Answered Yamihebi, he had to make sure that Kazumi was safe, that nothing bad happened to her. He knew that Ryu could take care of himself, at least he could tell from what little muscle he could see in his arms. Anyway, he ran as fast as he could, without thinking he took a sharp turn only to run into a dead end. "Damn it!"

"We might be able to get out if we run out of here fast enough." Said Ryu, which was smart. With that, he started to turn around along with Kazumi and Ryu only to gasp when he five guys walking into the alley. He couldn't tell what they looked like; even with his amazing eye sight he couldn't see them at all. The men smirked as they started to walk toward the teens, Yamihebi did the only thing he could and pushed Kazumi behind him, hoping that he could protect her.

"Look what we have here boys… two guys and a woman…" said the man in the middle with a creepy smile. His smile made Yamihebi growl softly, he could sense what this man really wanted and it was something that made him want to rip him to pieces. For now, he kept that deep down in his heart for he couldn't lose control.

"Yeah boss… what about those two guys though?"

"Simple… two hold each of them and I'll take care of the woman."

Yamihebi growled loudly and fiercely as he said "over my dead body!" Getting into a defensive stance, he held up his arm where his hand would just hover over his shoulder and his fingers flexed as if he was going to use some kind of hidden weapon.

"Don't do anything stupid Yamihebi," said Ryu in a hushed whisper, hoping that Yamihebi wouldn't do anything stupid. His only answer to that was a growl from the angry teen.

Howling in rage, Yamihebi rushed forward to fight the five men off. He had to make sure that Kazumi would be safe; he had to make sure that she would remain safe. A voice echoed in his mind… the voice of a savage… _"Kill! Kill them all! Kill anyone that would get in your path to obtain mate!"_ The inner wolf that resided within him called to him, telling him, demanding him to kill these men in order to protect Kazumi and he was going to make sure of that.

Without thinking, he tackled one of the men before jumping up and throwing his fist at the one man at his right, and spinning to kick the man at his left in the side of the head. His blood boiled from his rage, from his desire to fight. Something that had lied dormant for so long that it could no longer contained. Howling out in rage, turned his gaze to the last two men, his blood boiling, sizzling through his veins so hotly that he thought that his skin would start to steam.

"Yamihebi look out!" shouted Kazumi. Yamihebi lifted his head as he quickly turned around to stare at Kazumi, for his main concern was her. Though, as he had stopped paying attention to the men hadn't noticed that the one man he had tackled moments ago had grabbed a taser and jammed it into his side, causing Yamihebi to scream out in pain. "Yamihebi!" shouted Kazumi as she tried to rush out toward him as his body hit the hard ground below.

"Kazumi don't!" shouted Ryu as he grabbed the blonde's hand and pulled her back. "Stay back, I'll have to defend you." When he looked back, he saw the two men holding up Yamihebi by his arms while he sat on his knees. This wasn't good; he looked like he was out cold with the way his head was tilted to the side. In a way, it made Ryu think of a drugged person who was high.

"Get the other guy before we get the girl." Shouted the boss, or the man that Ryu thought was the boss. Narrowing his eyes, he stood in front of Kazumi, hoping that he would be a match for these guys. Though, it still had him a little confused with how Yamihebi had just charged in, it was almost as if he was a wild animal. Thinking that it was better to take the risk, he charged and went to fight the men, maybe if he got Yamihebi to wake up he would be able to have some help to take down these five guys.

Sadly though, it didn't seem that he was meant to win this battle, for as soon as he charged, the two men that hadn't been kicked down by the dazed teen, had managed to dodge Ryu's weak attacks and grabbed a hold of him and had him in the same position as Yamihebi. The only thing that went through his mind were these. _'Damn it all to fucking hell!'_

Ryu struggled against his captor, not sure how he had gotten like this so quickly. All he could think was that somewhere out there someone was pulling all the strings just so he would look bad… though maybe that was all in his head.

Looking up, Ryu stared at Kazumi with wide eyes, remembering that both he and Yamihebi were tied up now. He couldn't do anything for her… only… "Run Kazumi! Run as fast as you can! Forget about us!" shouted Ryu as he prayed that Kazumi would run and get help. Please let her be more like her mother for this moment and not like Naruto! Please!"

"No!"

And he had spoken too soon… Damn it all!

Kazumi held out her left hand, palm facing the only man that didn't have a hold of her friends while the other was held back. It was time that she used the training that her parents gave her. Narrowing her lavender coloured eyes, Kazumi thrust out her right hand at the man's stomach when he was close to her and watched as he backed up a bit. Not what she had been expecting but it'll do for a start.

Before he could regain his composure, she spun around and gave him a round house kick into his side sending him into the wall. At least this was starting to be a good start for her. The man glowered at her before he tried to grab at her once more. Kazumi acted quickly and grabbed his wrist in both of her hands before throwing him into the wall. For once, she was thankful for all the self-defence that her parents gave her. Though sadly, she didn't have the strength of her parents, maybe half of it.

The man glared at her, he was done playing with this girl… his glare was enough to scare Kazumi as she took a step back against the wall. "You're going to come with me girly." The man said with a glare as he reached out for Kazumi once more. The young woman could only act as she jumped into the air and lifted her leg, kicking the man under his chin and sent him flying a foot or so away from her.

Oh ho, the man was now very pissed when he sat up and wiped his mouth of the blood that had started to drip from the corner of his mouth. "You little bitch." Growled out the man as he suddenly got up onto his feet and grabbed Kazumi and slammed her into the ground.

Kazumi yelped when she felt the cold ground beneath her, she tried to get back up but without leverage… well, without any good leverage, she wouldn't be able to get up and help Yamihebi and Ryu. The man smirked as he bent down a bit so he could whisper into her ear. Though what he said was enough to cause Kazumi's blood to run so cold that she thought that ice was flowing through her veins. "I'm going to make you feel like a woman tonight… weather you like it or not." She could even hear his smirk as he pulled back and reached for her short jacket and started to rip it off.

"No! Stop it! Stop it please!" shouted Kazumi as she tried to struggle all the more. Wanting to get away from here, tears started to pool in her eyes as she shouted and cried out for help. Soon, she started to feel him grab her top and tried to rip it off of her that was when her cries became more desperate.

Yamihebi just sat there; he looked like he was in a daze. Deep within his own thoughts, it was as if he wasn't even there anymore. He sensed that Ryu was next to him just by the scent of the cologne that he was wearing. Though what really got to him was the scent of salt. Slowly, he lifted his head as he heard the sound of someone crying out for help. Who was crying? Why did the voice sound so familiar to him?

Letting out a soft groan, Yamihebi blinked slowly at the scene that was unfolding before him as he stared blankly. He faintly heard Ryu telling him to try to help Kazumi before she lost her purity. _'Her… purity?'_ thought Yamihebi as he frowned a little bit as he tried to think on what Ryu was talking about. Everything was foggy though his body still felt a little fuzzy from the aftershock.

"Please save me someone!" shouted Kazumi as the man soon started to grab her bra.

Suddenly, something in Yamihebi snapped. Something violent starting to burn deep in his veins and right into his heart. The humanity of his soul vanished as he started to scream only for that scream to turn into a blood thirsty howl. The two men that held onto him tried to keep him on the ground… sadly, Yamihebi's strength had increased as he quickly threw them away from him as he growled.

"What the hell?!" shouted Ryu as he stared at the now ferocious teen. His teeth were bared and Ryu could faintly make out pearly white fangs overlapping his lower lip. His nails were sharp like knives as they grew and sharpened. Even his ears were a little more pointed like some sort of demon.

"Men! Pin him down while I have fun with this girl."

"Yes boss!" said the two men before they started to rush at Yamihebi. Sadly for them, Yamihebi just swung his arms at the two men, sending them to the walls beside them. Ryu just stared with wide eyes at the power that he had just seen. It was amazing, that was for sure. Shaking his head, the young man shook his head as he tried to think on what had just happened to the man that was normally quite.

"Get him!"

One of the boys rushed at Yamihebi and shoved him against the wall with a smirk. "I bet he can't even see, why else would he wear this stupid blindfold?" He smirked a little more before reaching up and wrapped his fingers around the cloth that had been around the teen's eyes. Flicking his wrist, he ripped the blindfold off of the teens head and just smirked. But, as soon as the black haired teen had opened his gold eyes, the man that held him froze, causing everyone to stare at the man. His body started to shake as if he was afraid. Not knowing what was causing his body to shake though all they could see from Yamihebi's face was his smirk for his bangs hid his eyes from everyone, but the man that held him.

"Fool." Growled out Yamihebi as he grabbed his arm and threw him away. Turning to Ryu, the teen glared at the two men that held onto Ryu for a moment before their bodies had fallen over convulsing in what they could guess was pain. Ryu was lucky, that he hadn't been looking at Yamihebi, though he had been a little confused as to what was going on around him.

Yamihebi laughed before he turned to the man that had managed to get Kazumi's bra strap undone. Growling darkly, he rushed forward and grabbed the man by the back of his shirt before throwing him far away from him. Looking down at Kazumi, he grabbed his jacket and tossed it to Kazumi. His inner beast had some sense to want to protect the one it saw as a potential mate.

"What are you!?" shouted the man with wide eyes though he just shook his head and pushed himself up onto his feet before grabbing a knife and charged at the beastly teen. The knife hit his shoulder, though didn't flinch in pain at all. Smirking Yamihebi grabbed his wrist and threw him against the wall and had his arm pressed against his throat.

Yamihebi's head was held low, he was slowly losing himself to his demonic nature. His humanity was slowly fading but at the moment he didn't care. Smirking, he held up his claws and slashed at the man's face. Blood seeped from the open wounds before he stared at the man. The man started to twitch and squirm in pain by an unseen force.

"You'll die human!" he said before laughing like a mad man. Yamihebi threw him to the ground and raised his claws as he got ready to kill him. He was going to make this man pay; he'll make him feel pain before he dies. "I'll rip out your heart and shove it down your throat!" He shouted before thrusting his claws toward the man's chest.

Everything seemed to have felt like it was slowing down. Like time itself had slowed itself down in his mind. The full moons rays shined above him, giving him more power than he could ever want in his whole life. Now, he didn't care about his purpose for why he wanted to hurt this man, he didn't care about what he had been doing moments ago… All he cared about was spilling this man's blood and ripping out his heart.

"Stop it!" shouted a voice as something wrapped around his waist. Something wet started to soak the back of his shirt. Blinking a few times, he saw that his claws were only mere inches from the man's chest, just lightly hitting the fabric of his shirt really. "Please stop it… Yamihebi please… this isn't you at all!" cried out the voice, a woman's voice… a sad voice.

Slowly, he pulled back from the man and turned his head to stare at the shaking form of Kazumi. She was wearing his jacket and had zipped up the zipper. Blinking slowly, Yamihebi tried to think on why she would stop him… or who she was. Why would this woman care about what he did? Grabbing his head, he felt like something was trying to rip his mind apart from the inside.

Groaning, he heard Kazumi pleading for him to stop. That he can't keep doing this, that he would only regret it later. Dropping his arms, Yamihebi frowned a little before his legs started to shake. The memories of what had happened started to flow into his mind. He had… he had been about to kill someone… Dear god…

Suddenly, Yamihebi started to feel dizzy, like he had suddenly been drained of all of his energy. Darkness started to cloud the edges of his vision before he fell into darkness as he lost consciousness.


	13. Chapter 13

**_I've never known true horror until I had snapped out of my darkness. I never knew that I could feel horror at all for that matter. When I heard Kazumi's screams for me to stop, I could sense her fear and the horror that was deep within her words. She had been afraid of me, I just know it and knowing that she had been afraid of me wanted me to die then and there. Well… I might as well tell her the truth… at least, the truth that I can tell her for I just don't have the courage…_**

_Yamihebi was surrounded by nothing but darkness. He felt like he was going to float here forever. Blinking slowly, he turned his head to the side; his blank looking eyes just stared at the nothingness that surrounded him. "What happened…?" he whispered softly, not sure what had really happened to have him in this place._

_The last thing he remembered was the sound of someone's screams and the scent of salty tears. Blinking tiredly, he wondered what would happen to him now… would he remain here forever or would he just return trying to act like he hadn't been controlled by his own blood? Frowning at the thought, Yamihebi thought that it would be better if he just floated around in the darkness; feeling like this was where he belonged._

_"What will happen to me now?" asked Yamihebi out loud, wondering if he would just float here for all time or just fade away into nothing._

_Shaking his head, Yamihebi just closed his eyes as he floated away. Maybe it was for the best that he just floated around and do nothing. "What are you doing fool." Said a voice, causing the young man to open his eyes and what he assumed to be standing up straight since he was in an empty void, unsure of which way was up, and down… Anyway, the thing that he saw in front of him made his eyes go wide in shock. For standing in front of him, was a demonic version of himself._

_The one that stood before him had pointed elf-like ears, crimson coloured eyes with golden irises that shined like the harvest moon. His fangs overlapped his lower lip when normally; he could keep his fangs hidden with how short they were. His fingertips had sharp nails that he knew right away were claws since normally; he smoothed them down with a nail file. The longer he stared at the demon version of himself, Yamihebi saw that the demonic version's ears started to stretch up to the top of his head and turned into black wolf ears… and soon he saw a long flurry black tail swaying behind him._

_"What the…?" Yamihebi said in confusion, sure he knew that if he had stayed in that form long enough that he would look a little more demonic but to get ears and a tail? Well, that was a little new to him, though then again from what his mother had said he was only in his demonic state for ten minutes tops. Nothing else ever happened to his body to make him look that way._

_"I'm you, dumbass…" said the other Yamihebi._

_"Shut up! I'm not a heartless monster!" shouted Yamihebi. That declaration of course only got him a dark laugh as his other self threw his head back and laughed. When the demonic Yamihebi's face came back to be eye level with him, his face was decorated in strange markings. They were curved triangles coming from his both his hairline, and the sides of his cheeks, and snaking their way to his eyes and circling his eye._

_"A heartless monster? Now, now… I was only protecting Kazumi from those guys… they were going to take her innocents before I could do that."_

_"You were going to kill them in cold blood!"_

_His only responds was a dark and cruel laugh. Damn it, who would have thought that he had something like this deep inside of himself? Shaking his head, the young man growled and looked like he was about to rip this guy a new one. What was the point of this guy showing up in this place? Wait… if this was his other self, does that mean that they're somewhere deep inside his mind?_

_"Of course we're in your mind, you dumbass," said his other self._

_Okay yeah, they'd have to be in his mind for this version of him to read his thoughts. Right now, he would have to get some answers, there was no way that he was going to allow this guy to come out again, not after what could have happened to Kazumi even if he did say that he wouldn't have hurt her. Narrowing his eyes, Yamihebi stared at his demonic self as he asked "what would you have done to her after beating those guys?"_

_"Simple… after my bloodlust was dealt with, I would have made her mine."_

_"That's even worse! It would be like killing her!"_

_"No, it would be making her ours idiot."_

_"You're just as bad as those guys were!"_

_"And?"_

_"There is no 'and' you're just as worse! I won't let you hurt Kazumi ever again! I won't allow you to do anything to her understand!?"_

_He was angry, pissed beyond all reason. Though what he knew was that he wouldn't allow anyone, not even his own darker half, to lay one finger on Kazumi's blonde head. Yamihebi knew that it may be harsh, but he would rather be dead then to hurt Kazumi. "Tell her…"_

_Blinking his wide eyes, Yamihebi looked up at his evil half in confusion. What did he mean by 'tell her'? Tell her what? The truth or something else for this was all so confusing to him and he was starting to get a little dizzy. "Tell her what you, we, really are and you may be a little surprised." He chuckled a bit before everything started to vanish. Why did he have to tell her anything?!_

_Ah yes, because he loved her very much…_

Soon, Yamihebi slowly started to open his eyes though frowned a bit when he saw nothing but darkness. It was easy to see that he wasn't wearing his blindfold and the material wasn't as soft and smooth. There were fibres on this cloth and… it was damp. Groaning, Yamihebi reached up to remove the wet cloth from his eyes, wondering where he was, and how long he had been in this place. It was all so confusing though he was blaming his disoriented mind for that, at least for the time being.

Suddenly, he felt something grip his wrist, causing him to panic. Thinking that he was under attack, Yamihebi growled softly and sat up quickly and glared at the person only for his eyes to widen in shock. For the person he was staring at was Kazumi. Acting quickly, he turned away from her, praying that he hadn't looked at her long enough to have caused her any kind of pain… why was she with him anyway?

"Yami… you're awake! I'm so happy!" Kazumi said with a smile before grabbing the washcloth that fell from his face. Wait, did she just call him Yami? Why? His name is Yamihebi… why would she…? Sometimes, he didn't think he'd ever understand women at all.

Taking a deep breath, Yamihebi closed his eyes as he whispered "how long have I been asleep for?" He had to know, just had to know how long he had been sleeping for… Dear god please don't have him sleep for a long time…

"You've been asleep for a few days. I've been looking after you." Kazumi said with a hint of confusion, as if why he would be asking of such a question. His eyes widened, he had been asleep for a few days?! How though!? He felt like he had only been floating in his mind for a couple hours but _days!?_ Shaking his head, the young man tried to get himself to relax, tried to get himself to calm down or he would cause more harm than good at the moment. "Yami, please why won't you look at me…?"

"Are you okay? What happened after I blacked out?" he asked, hoping to change subjects. Biting his lower lip, being careful of his fangs, he tried to think on what more they could talk about.

"Yami… don't change the subject…"

"I'll answer if you tell me why you keep calling me 'Yami'…"

Kazumi stopped talking for a moment. Hadn't she noticed the way she had been talking nor hadn't she had an answer to give? He heard her take a deep breath before she started to say her answer. "I thought… I could give you a nickname… but, you didn't have an easier nickname I could give you… Don't you have a nickname to give me?"

Yamihebi blushed at the thought of a nickname for Kazumi. Sure, he had thought of shortening her name to 'Zumi' but he didn't know if she would like it. Gulping, he had been about to say something until he felt a hand gently cup his cheek and started to turn his head. Before he knew it, his eyes came to bore right into Kazumi's. "Don't look at me!" shouted Yamihebi as he shoved Kazumi away from him and fell off the bed in the process.

Groaning, Yamihebi rubbed the back of his head as he sat up. Okay, not the smartest thing to do though it beats having Kazumi staring at his eyes. Opening his eyes, he saw Kazumi staring right at him once more, she must have hoped up onto the bed when he was sitting up without him noticing. Closing his eyes, he said "don't stare at my eyes Kazumi, you'll only feel pain!" His voice was filled with fear and guilt, scared that if he hurt her even with just his gaze, he would feel nothing but guilt for not preventing it.

"What do you mean I'll only feel pain?" asked Kazumi with a tilt of her head.

Taking a deep breath, he calmly said "I cause people great amounts of pain just by having direct eye contact." He ran a hand through his hair, trying to find the right words to tell her this… to put it into words so that even he could fully understand it since, to him it still didn't make a lot of sense even though he knew what it could do.

Kazumi frowned a bit before placing both of her hands on the sides of his head and forced him to turn to face her. All she did was smile at him as she said "I don't feel any pain at all." Yamihebi just stared at her with wide eyes, how was this even possible? How could he not cause Kazumi any pain what so ever? She gave him a soft smile as she asked "why would you say that your stare would only cause pain?"

Gulping, he looked down, not able to look her in the eye. Mostly out of habit since he isn't wearing his blindfold at the moment. "Like I said, I cause pain with direct contact… it's happened since I turned fifteen. I haven't been able to stare at someone since then, so I wore a blindfold to hide my eyes and focused on my other senses though I had managed to see through the blindfold."

"That explains why you wore a blindfold when you never did when we met as kids…"

Yamihebi couldn't help but smile at that. Yeah, it had been that way… he never needed it when they were kids since he wouldn't have awakened to his power for another three years at the time. Though, he was a little confused about why he didn't cause Kazumi pain… was there something wrong with him now or… was it because… he had faced his inner trial?

Kazumi slowly moved her hands from his face as she said "how about we sit outside? I bet you could use the fresh air…" Now that she mentions it, he could use the air… Nodding, he pushed himself up from his seat on the floor and started to dust himself off. Looking around the area, he saw that he was in his bedroom in the guest house. How did he get here anyway? Shaking his head, he looked around for his jacket only to frown when he didn't see it?

Soon, he felt like someone was tapping his shoulder. Frowning, he turned around and stared at Kazumi, seeing that she was holding his jacket… Why was she… oh, wait his demonic side took over and gave Kazumi his jacket. Giving her a small smile, he took the jacket and threw it on before walking with Kazumi outside, noticing that she was wearing a long sweater over her usual clothes.

Looking around, he saw that it was night out… damn; he must have been really out of it. As he looked around, the young man saw how the world really looked for a change. It had been so long since he's seen the world without a blindfold. Turning his gaze to Kazumi he saw her looking up at him and tilted her head at him. Sometimes, he wondered if anything fazed Kazumi… wasn't she afraid of him…? Now that he thought about it, she just treated him the same as she always did.

Tilting his head, Yamihebi saw some lawn chairs and smiled a bit. It might be nice to sit down to star gaze. Smiling, he walked over to the chairs with Kazumi in tow. Once they had both gotten seated, Yamihebi looked up at the sky as he saw the twinkling stars in the sky.

He could feel Kazumi's eyes on him as she asked "what had happened to you the other day? You know, when… when you fought those guys…" Damn it, he knew that this was coming… She deserved an answer, and there was no reason to hide what he was from her anymore. He leaned back some more, placing his arms behind his head as he started to get himself comfortable.

"I'm not human Kazumi…"

"What do you mean? I mean sure I've heard your father was a snake-like man but… that doesn't make you less human."

"No, that isn't what I mean… I'm half-human. My mom is a full wolf demon and with me being half-demon, I have some of the demon traits and they remain hidden unless I'm under a full moon because like a werewolf, wolf demons gain more power during a full moon." He sighed softly, closing his eyes for a moment as he added "and the form you saw the other night, was a result of not only that power, but of my rage and anger of what those men were going to do. I've never felt so helpless before and… I had been scared of you being afraid of men… of me…"

Yamihebi didn't know how Kazumi would treat him… it almost seemed like she wasn't afraid of him at all. She hadn't screamed, or run or anything of the sort, and now… it seemed almost as if she understood in some way or another. The young man never opened his eyes, afraid of what she would say. Though, what she had said was enough to have surprised him… "My dad has a demon sealed within him and he has a good life, so why can't you just because you have demon blood in your veins?"

There… how… damn it he was speechless!

Blushing softly, he looked away before sitting up and turning around in his seat. Bending his head down, the young man calmly asked "how… how do you feel about spending time with someone who is an evil creature?" He had to know, if she rejected any part of him… he couldn't stand it. It would make his heart crack before shattering into tiny pieces like frail glass.

Kazumi moved around in her seat and turned to face him. Smiling, she happily said "you're not evil just because your father is Orochimaru. You're who you want to be and I see a kind person who saved my life and who cares about me." Eyes widening, he stared at Kazumi with a faint blush on his face. She… didn't care about what he was huh… Maybe now was as best a time as ever…

Pushing himself up Yamihebi calmly said "wait here…" He tried to get himself to relax, if he was going to say anything else, he would have to do something, would have to hear something relaxing to help calm his nerves. It was the only way to get the rest of his words out; he would have to tell her what was deep in his heart.

As he walked toward the guest house, he tried to think on as to why his pain sight wasn't doing anything. Frowning, the young man couldn't help but think… his mother had said that after he had faced an inner turmoil, that he would control the power with his own will rather than have it go out of control and attack anyone that would stare at his eyes.

Had admitting to himself that he loved Kazumi enough to stop the problem half way that it wouldn't affect Kazumi or had he really broken through his turmoil? Shaking his head, the young man walked over to his CD player and carried it outside; this was going to be the moment of truth. He was going to confess his feelings to Kazumi and there was no way in hell he was going to look like an idiot.

Running his free hand through his hair, Yamihebi walked out of the guest house and set the CD player on the lawn chair before he looked over at Kazumi and gave her a small smile. "Kazumi, may I have this dance?" She just stared at him with her wide lavender coloured eyes only to smile happily before getting up and giving him her hand. Looking over at the CD player, he hit 'play' and heard as the song started to play a soft tune.

_Kaerimichi fuzakete aruita  
Wake mo naku kimi wo okoraseta  
Ironna kimi no kao wo mitakattanda_

The song was nice and simple, yet it held a deeper meaning. Taking a deep breath, the young man pulled Kazumi close, wrapping an arm around her waist and holding her hand in his while she had her free hand on his shoulder. Now, Yamihebi didn't know much about slow dancing so he was just going with it.

_Ookina hitomi ga nakisou na koe ga  
Ima mo boku no mune wo shimetsukeru  
Surechigau hito no naka de kimi wo oikaketa_

Gulping, Yamihebi looked in Kazumi's eyes and saw that she was happy, though there was a hidden emotion deep within those beautiful pools of hers. It was as if she was looking through his own eyes and right into his very soul. This was a feeling he's never felt before in his entire life. Gulping, his face went a little red as he just kept swaying with her from side to side.

_Kawaranai mono sagashiteita  
Ano hi no kimi wo wasure wa shinai  
Toki wo koeteku omoi ga aru  
Boku wa ima sugu kimi ni aitai_

Yamihebi looked away for a moment, not sure how he was going to tell her what he was really feeling. This was going to be a challenge in itself, though this was going to be a war that he wanted to win, that he had to know the results would be.

_Gaitou ni burasageta omoi  
Itsumo kimi ni watasenakatta  
Yoru wa bokutachi wo toozakete-itta ne_

"Kazumi…" whispered Yamihebi, not sure how he was going to tell her. Though, the young man knew that if he didn't tell her that he would never be able to live with himself if he didn't tell her how he felt about her. Closing his eyes for a moment, Yamihebi took a deep breath hoping to calm down his nerves.

_Mienai kokoro de uso tsuita koe ga  
Ima mo boku no mune ni hibiteiru  
Samayou toki no naka de kimi to koi wo shita_

Opening his eyes, Yamihebi stared at Kazumi as the blush on his face went deeper, he could literally feel the blood rushing into his cheeks. Gulping, Yamihebi whispered softly "I love you Kazumi. I don't care if you don't have the same feelings for me but… I had to tell you. To let you know how I felt." Turning his gaze away as he said "I'm sorry… but I had to tell you or I'd never forgive myself."

_Kawaranai mono sagashiteita  
Ano hi mitsuketa shiranai basho e  
Kimi wo futari de yukeru no nara  
Boku wa nando mo umarekawareru_

Kazumi lifted her hand from his shoulder before cupping his cheek once more, forcing him to turn to stare at her. Yamihebi didn't know what he should expect from her though he saw nothing but tears starting to roll down her face. What was wrong with her? Was there something going on? Did he make her cry? Dear god what if he did?!

_Katachi nai mono dakishimeteta  
Kowareru oto mo kikoenai mama  
Kimi to aruita onaji michi ni  
Ima mo akari wa terashi-tsudzukeru_

She just stared at him; her smile was bright and radiant. How could it be that someone like her could smile at his confession? Did that mean that she had feelings for him or was it something more? "I love you to Yamihebi… I was afraid you didn't have feelings for me…" she whispered gently, causing him to blush even more.

_Kawaranai mono sagashiteita  
Ano hi no kimi wo wasure wa shinai  
Toki wo koeteku omoi ga aru  
Boku wa ima sugu kimi ni aitai_

Yamihebi blushed softly when he stared at Kazumi. She had thought that… he didn't have any feelings for her? Well, now that he thought about it, it was only normal since he didn't really show that he had any emotions for her at all. He wasn't really a person that expressed his feelings often. Taking a deep breath, the young man held Kazumi closer to his chest and gave her a soft smile.

_Boku wa ima sugu kimi ni aitai_

Soon, Yamihebi tilted Kazumi's head back a bit so he could do the one thing that he's wanted to do for a while now. Staring at her lavender coloured eyes gently, he bent forward and gently pressed his lips onto hers.

* * *

Meanwhile, Naruto was watching the whole thing from the balcony. He wasn't happy that his daughter was kissing Orochimaru's son. Not at all, it only made him angry. What if Yamihebi betrayed both of them and tried to kill someone? Shaking his head, the blonde haired man looked up at the sky as he tried to think of something he could do.

"Dad, should I trust Yamihebi or not?" Naruto said at the night sky, wanting, hoping, and praying that the spirit of his father would at least give him something. Anything to indicate that he was listening or something, just like when his father's spirit showed up at his wedding. Shaking his head, Naruto thought that maybe, there wouldn't be much of a point in trying to ask since his father hasn't shown his face at all since his wedding.

Crossing his arms on the balcony ledge, he just stared at his daughter and the son of the snake dance under the starry sky. It made him think of when he was younger, he had been reunited with Hinata and they danced and sang under the starry sky.

Bending his head forward, Naruto rested his head on his crossed arms as he whispered "will history repeat?" He couldn't help but bite his lower lip as he tried to get himself to relax, tried to get himself to calm down and that nothing bad was going to happen… But who was he kidding? Something was bound to happen to either himself, Kazumi or even Hinata. He just couldn't risk that to happen to his girls.

"Naru-kun?" whispered a voice, causing Naruto to lift his head and turned to see his wife walking up to him in her purple nightgown. Giving her a soft smile he opened up his arm as he stood up straight, pulling his wife to his side. Hinata looked up at Naruto and tilted her head as she asked "you okay? You've been down lately…"

"I'm worried Hinata. Kazumi seems to have fallen in love with Yamihebi… Now, I'm worried that he'll take advantage of that and hurt our daughter." He frowned a bit and frowned a bit. Damn it, he didn't want his only child to be with anyone let alone the son of the man who killed his father.

"Naruto, Kazumi isn't stupid… she knows who she can trust. If you trust me, then trust your daughter in her choices. Yamihebi has done nothing but to help Kazumi and not to mentioned, he did save her from being raped."

Okay, he'll give Hinata that win. Taking a deep breath, he kissed his wife's forehead as he said "alright… tomorrow, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and trust him… for now."


	14. Chapter 14

_My life is over…_

Yamihebi took a deep breath; he didn't know what to do about his life. Yes, he had told Kazumi of his feelings, of his heritage… Sitting on a chair in the guest house, Yamihebi just had his head bent forward, his eyes filled with sadness and guilt. He couldn't keep doing this to her… he couldn't keep this lie anymore. Closing his eyes, he whispered "I can't because I love her…"

Inhaling deeply, the young man pushed himself up from his seat and grabbed his blindfold. Mostly out of habit and tied it around his eyes before making his way to the front door. The young man couldn't help but wonder how Kazumi would react if she knew the truth… would she still care about him? Love him? Or treat him like the monster that he really was?

Suddenly, he froze… the doorbell rang. Eyes widening, Yamihebi gulped… did Kazumi sense that he was nervous or worried about something? Damn it, maybe he should just ignore it for now and pretend that nothing is wrong. This wasn't going to be easy, that was for sure. Gulping, Yamihebi walked forward toward the door when the bell rang once again through the house.

Slowly, and carefully, he reached out for the doorknob; a little nervous and scared out of his mind that Kazumi had found out the truth and was going to slap him across the face. Damn it, he didn't want to lose her, he already knew what losing his dad did to his mother and she's one crazy ass bitch.

Finally, his hand reached the doorknob; it was the moment of truth. _'Damn why did this have to be so hard to do?!' _thought Yamihebi with a grimace before he opened the door only to stare in shock at who was standing there, for it wasn't Kazumi… "Uzumaki-san?" That's right; standing in front of him was Naruto Uzumaki, the man that owned the company and also Kazumi's father. This was a surprise that was for sure…

"Yamihebi… I'd like to have… a chat with you." Naruto said in a strangely calm tone of voice. This just couldn't be good. Why would he want to talk to him in the first place? Dear god did he know about his mother's plan or was it something else? No, it had to be his mother's plan; why else would he talk to him when he pretty much had him banished to the guest house?

Though, what he also did know was that he couldn't refuse this man… after all, if he had been powerful enough to kill his father then he would be powerful enough to kill him as well.

Slowly, Yamihebi nodded his head before walking out of the house and locked up the place. Not wanting anyone to break in though he had just been happy that he had his phone with him so no one would look at the messages that he had on his phone. _'I should delete them later just in case…'_ thought the young man with a deep sigh. Looking up at Naruto, he saw that he was wearing a simple muscle shirt and some blue jeans and black sneakers with red laces. Must be his casual wear when he wasn't working.

"I want to talk to you about your father…" Naruto calmly said, causing the teen to stare at him with wide eyes.

There was no way that his man would talk about his father! Naruto killed Orochimaru in cold blood and now he was going to talk about his father as if he _knew _him?! Narrowing his eyes, Yamihebi said "I know already. My father was a great man and you killed him."

"That's what your mother thinks, and what she wanted you to think as well."

Yamihebi just stared for a moment. What did he mean by that? It was the truth wasn't it, that his father had been killed in cold blood? Rubbing his temple, the young man looked up and saw Naruto walking away, he hadn't thought of waiting for him at all. Shaking his head, Yamihebi ran up to Naruto as he asked "what do you mean by that?"

Naruto smiled a little sadly before he turned away and kept on walking with the teen. Yamihebi couldn't help but wonder what the older man was trying, or going to say, though he had a feeling that it was going to be something that would change his views of the blonde man.

"Just follow me alright? We'll have a long chat and maybe… it is time that you learned the truth about your father, the real truth and not the lies that your mother filled your head with." Naruto calmly said which had just caused the teen to stare at him with wide eyes. Was there really more to his father's sad tale that his mother hadn't told him or did she really want to turn him into a heartless killing machine?

* * *

"So, you gonna talk now Uzumaki-san?" asked Yamihebi, thinking that for now he should give Naruto respect. That it was not just so he wouldn't piss off the man, but also so he wouldn't upset Kazumi if her father told her never to see him again for not having any kind of respect. Damn, this was all so confusing and new to him.

Naruto had brought Yamihebi to a park outside of the city. The young teen remembered this place; he used to bring his little sister and brother to this place when they were younger. It was the only escape the children had from their crazy ass mother and now… well, he guess they were sorta like bitter sweet memories… It almost made his heart ache at the thought of this place.

"Where would you like me to start Yamihebi…?" asked Naruto sitting down and as he leaned a little forward in his seat. His arms hanging over his knees as if he was in deep thought. Was he trying to think on how to tell this tale even without Yamihebi picking where he should even start?

"I guess from the beginning…" whispered Yamihebi as he took a deep breath. Might as well as prepare himself for the tale that was going to reveal what really happened to his father…

Naruto looked at the teen for a brief moment before he turned away. Looking down, he started to begin his tale… "Your father Orochimaru was one of the three founders of the company. He, and my father, and my father-in-law had made arrangements. My father would be the CEO of the company, Orochimaru would handle the new signed on singers then of course my father-in-law was to keep the computers up and running."

"So… what about my father? Wasn't he the owner of the company if he was one of the founders?"

"No, even though he was a founder, my father, Minato, and Hirashi did not fully trust Orochimaru. They had a strange vibe when they were with him." Naruto calmly explained as he held his hands together and had his lips pressed against his knuckles as if he was in deep thought. Taking a deep breath, he kept going. "My father knew that something was up with Orochimaru, so he told me and Hinata time and again to avoid him at all costs. When I would pass your father, I sensed that something was wrong with him… I always had… this dark feeling from him."

"Dark feeling?"

"Yes, at first I thought it was nothing and well… Orochimaru knew of how I would act and he had sent me into the abandoned building… I had brought Hinata with me and… I never found out who the person was but I had a feeling that he had been sent by someone to kill me." Closing his eyes, Naruto lifted his hand and his index finger traced the scar that ran its way down his right eye, over his nose and ending at his left cheek. Just thinking about it caused him to wince in pain. "I received this scar in the process…"

"How were you so sure that my father hired that person?"

"Just keep listening and you'll find out." Naruto calmly said. "Now, this may surprise you Yamihebi but… well, when I was ten, it was my birthday and your father told me to wait outside for my present from him… I was attacked and my dad saved me. I ran, he fought and… and he died." Rubbing his face, the blonde haired man added "I came back and Orochimaru told me to run… I felt nothing but guilt over my father's death for ten years."

"You… blamed yourself for your dad's death?" Yamihebi said in shock, sure he knew that Minato had been shot years ago, and that Naruto had been missing for ten years but… to run away because he felt nothing but guilt… that was amazing that was for sure.

Naruto leaned back in his seat as he said "I only thought that, because if I hadn't waited outside, then I wouldn't have been attacked, and my father wouldn't have been killed. But, when I came back… I found out the truth of my father's death."

"You did?"

Nodding, Naruto whispered "I managed to get to the floor that Orochimaru was on with my mother; he was trying to get her to marry him and forget about my father. My mom refused time and again and Orochimaru would have killed her if I hadn't interfered. I fought, and was held down… and that was when Orochimaru told me… that he killed my father."

Yamihebi stared at Naruto with wide eyes. No, that can't be right… his mom said that his dad was an innocent man and… now he was hearing that his dad killed someone? That can't be true! Shaking his head, he said "but… that…"

"It's true… I went through the facts, how else would Orochimaru know about my father's death when no one else did? Why would he have brought me outside for a present that could fit inside a building? Yamihebi, I know you don't want to believe it but Orochimaru killed my father…"

"And you killed him!"

"No… Orochimaru ended himself."

"What?"

Naruto kept his gaze at the sky, as if it was interesting to him for some reason. What was he going to say that would change his mind about what he has been told about his father. "I was fighting your father, but Hinata had saved me from myself… the holes I made in the roof… well, Orochimaru charged and tried to kill us both…" Turning his gaze to Yamihebi, he calmly said "your father tripped in the hole and fell over the building. I had nothing to do with his death; he was the end of his own downfall when I had spared his life."

Yamihebi felt like he had been slapped in the face. His father… was his own downfall? But how? Shaking his head, Yamihebi stared at Naruto as he asked "did… did that really happen?"

"Yes it did… Orochimaru had been consumed by his own anger, hatred and his darkness. I learned that darkness can be both an evil thing, and a good thing. Sometimes, darkness creates a path of good, and sometimes it can be a path of destruction. In Orochimaru's case… his darkness had consumed him, blinded him… and he had killed himself by his own darkness."

Yamihebi just stared at Naruto after he heard his words. His father was killed by his own darkness? Frowning, he looked down as he allowed the words to go through his mind. Though, Naruto pushed himself up and started to walk away toward the forest that surrounded the park. It made Yamihebi look up before running after Naruto. What could this man be planning now or did he just want to walk through the trees? Most of all, why did he feel like something was wrong?

Looking up at Naruto, Yamihebi calmly asked "where are we going?" he didn't know if he would even get an answer, but it didn't hurt though right? Shaking his head, the young man thought that maybe Naruto only wanted to share that tale with him because he had been told time and again that Naruto had killed his father when really, his father was his own downfall.

"Orochimaru may have been an evil man… but even he didn't deserve death, no matter how much I wanted to kill him. To avenge my father, but if I had done that then well… I'd be no better than he was. Maybe, just maybe if Orochimaru had found someone in his life that could have brought him out of the darkness maybe he could have changed but… then again, maybe he had been in that darkness for far too long." Turning to Yamihebi, he whispered "and you Yamihebi, you are still young and are conflicted between light and darkness. Do what your heart tells you to do."

All the black haired teen could do was stare at him in shock and surprise. Was Naruto telling him that… he had earned his trust? He wanted to smile a great big smile on his face but then… he remembered something that brought horror to his expression. He had _earned_ Naruto's trust! Oh shit… Turning to stand in front of Naruto, he calmly said "Naruto, we have to get out of here and fast. Don't ask questions alright?!" Okay, he didn't really say it calmly, but at the moment he was starting to panic, his mother had said that she would show when he had not only had Naruto alone, but gained his trust… and his mother had some kind of super power of knowing when her plans fall together or fail.

"What's wrong?" asked Naruto, only for Yamihebi to shove him to the ground just as kunai's hit and embedded themselves in the trunk of the tree, just behind where Naruto stood. "What the hell?!" shouted the blonde man before rising to his feet once more.

"Well, well, well… it took my son a while but he had managed to not only bring you out here where no one can hear you scream, but had earned your trust." Said Yuki as she came out of the trees, and with her were maybe fifty of her warriors or lackey's. Yamihebi just glared at his mother before he looked like he was ready to fight.

Looking at Naruto, he just stared at the blonde haired man with a hint of fear. For Naruto was now staring at Yamihebi with a glare that made Yamihebi fear for his life. His gaze was so angry, filled with so much rage that it could easily burn holes through not only his body but his very soul. "You betrayed me." Growled out Naruto, his eyes narrowing into slits, proving that he was just as angry as he looked, maybe more so.

"No wait! I didn't want this Naruto I swear! I was a part of it yes but-"

"So you did plan this the whole time?!" Shouted Naruto before he had been tackled by Yuki. Yamihebi would have grabbed his mother but before he could even get close, his mother's lackeys had grabbed him and held him back. Yuki laughed like a crazy ass bitch before she pressed her hands against Naruto's throat, hoping to choke him.

"Mom stop it!" shouted Yamihebi as he tried to break free. Damn it, if Naruto died here then Kazumi would never forgive him. He had to think of something, how was he going to break free of these goons? Biting his lower lip, Yamihebi knew that it was risky but he… he may have to give up a piece of his humanity to do this but it was the only thing he could do for the time being since these guys were full demons, while he was nothing but a half-demon.

Yamihebi took a deep breath and started to unlock his demonic blood. He knew the risks, if he unleashed the demonic blood; he would never look like a human again. There was a fifty-fifty chance of him being able to return to normal but… there is also the risk of never being able to look human ever again. _'For Kazumi… I'd take that risk!'_ thought Yamihebi before started to focus. Starting to bring out the demonic blood that he had kept locked up most of his life.

Damn it, why did this have to burn so damn much?! Gritting his teeth, the young man tried to get the pain to stop. But he knew that this was the only way to save Naruto and not to have Kazumi angry with him. He wanted to scream out in pain, he wanted to pass out. Anything, anything rather than have to go through this pain but damn it… this was the choice that he would have to make sure that this transformation would continue or he'd lose everything. This time, it would be his choice, and not his mother's.

Yamihebi felt his ears stretching, his nails and claws growing. Hell, he even felt like he got a little taller from the transformation. Soon, he started to feel his ears stretching, the same with his tail bone. He barley heard his mother's goons speaking as they stared at the teen transforming.

"Boss something's up with your kid!" shouted one of the goons.

"Just keep him busy, I've almost killed Naruto!" shouted Yuki

Head shooting up, Yamihebi slammed his arms down and head a 'thud' from when they hit their heads against each other. Yamihebi growled before he charged at his mother and tackled her to the ground. Growling, Yamihebi slammed his mother's back against the ground as he said "that's enough!" Yuki kicked her son off of her and pinned him to the ground, not noticing that Naruto had managed to get away.

"You brat! You dare defy me after everything that I've done for you? You'll get the stare now boy… you'll feel so much pain that you'll wish you were dead!"

She reached for his blindfold and ripped it off. Though, what she hadn't expected was for his eyes to glow a bright gold colour, and she soon started to feel the pain shooting through her body instead of the other way around. Yamihebi just smirked as he said "what's the matter mother? Don't like getting a taste of your own medicine? Ah yes, you didn't know that I finally learned to control my power, oh and I'm done being your tool for your twisted life. I learned the truth and I won't let you hurt or use me and my brother and sister again!"

"You don't know what you're talking about." Yuki bit out from pain. Noticing the changes in her son, growling, she said "you've changed Yamihebi… I thought you would grow up and be like your father."

"Oh yeah you mean a killer! I will never be like him, or you!" With that, he shoved her off of him and pushed himself up. Yamihebi knew that his body was different; though he didn't know what changes had been done to him. Sniffing the air, he smelled that Naruto left a while ago though he also smelled the demons coming toward him. Turning quickly, he glared, allowing his Pain Sight to take its hold on them." Follow me, and I'll intensify this stare to cripple you." As soon as the demons fell to the ground, he made a break for it.

As he ran, Yamihebi saw the steel slide as he ran through the park only to stare with wide eyes. Turning away, he knew that he would change but… that much? Looking back, he saw that he looked just like the demonic version of himself from his dream. Black wolf ears atop of his head, a black wolf tail that he could keep hidden in his jacket. What he also noticed, were his eyes and his face… The whites of his eyes were red, his irises remained a bright gold though his pupils… they were slits. Then, there was his face, it was those curved triangles that his other self had.

They stared at his hairline from the top of his head and the sides of his cheeks and made their way to his eyes before circling around them. Closing his eyes, he felt his fangs and his claws easily. _'I'm a monster,'_ thought Yamihebi before he ran as fast as his body would allow.

* * *

Yamihebi made his way to the guest house. All he needed was a change of clothes, maybe a hat or something. He needed to make sure he could hide his face, his ears and his tail. Shaking his head, he changed as quickly as he could into a long sleeved coat that still touched the ground. Soon, he grabbed some gloves to cover his hands; he grabbed a hat to hide his ears and of course a blindfold that could hide some of the markings on his face, while his bangs covered the rest.

This should be easy enough right?

Shaking his head, he grabbed his guitar wanting to see Kazumi. Walking toward the door, he couldn't help but wonder if Kazumi would… would still care about him if he was like this. "What am I thinking, Kazumi loves me…" He said before opening the door, only to find a glaring Naruto. "Naruto… are you alright? I mean… well alright from being strangled…"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine traitor…" growled out Naruto as he crossed his arms. Hearing the tone of his voice, Yamihebi couldn't help but wince. He tried to say he was sorry, but Naruto held up his hand, not wanting to hear it. "I trusted you… and I won't do it again. I want you out right now."

"Can I see Kazumi one last time?"

"No, you will never see her ever let along one last time." Growled Naruto before he shoved Yamihebi out the door and onto the grass. Narrowing his eyes, Yamihebi looked up at Naruto though… he knew that this was going to happen at some point. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself up and looked up. He saw Kazumi staring at him with sad eyes before he looked away.

"Naruto… just know that… I am very sorry. I never wanted to do this, I had no choice and I had tried to save you…" He whispered before walking away. Though as he walked, tears started to stream down his face at the idea of never seeing the one he loves ever again. With each step he took, Yamihebi could feel a piece of his heart breaking.


	15. Chapter 15

_I don't care what my father says. Yamihebi isn't a bad guy and I won't just stand by and lose him. If I lose him, my heart will shatter into a million pieces, maybe more. I love him so much…_

Kazumi didn't know what was going on, though what she did know was that Yamihebi had left. With each step she saw him take, it felt like a piece of her heart was breaking. Running away from the window, the young woman ran down the stairs of the building and toward the bottom floor. She had to know what was going on, she had to talk to her dad to figure out why Yamihebi was leaving.

Rushing down the stairs as fast as she could, Kazumi felt like her heart was beating rapidly in her chest; she didn't know if it was from lack of air or from the fear of losing Yamihebi. Either way, she didn't want him to leave; she wanted him to stay with her for as long as he wanted. Not get kicked out because her father said so.

Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, Kazumi breathed heavily as she saw her father walking into the house. His eyes were angry and she knew that his normally blue eyes were changing back and forth from blue to red in the rate of his pulsing heart. Kazumi had never seen him this angry before though she knew that for now, she would have to risk talking to him… it was the only way to find out why he kicked out Yamihebi.

"Dad, why is Yamihebi leaving?" asked Kazumi with wide lavender eyes.

"Because he was working for his mother to get rid of me. He was using you Kazumi, just to get to me." Naruto growled out before he started to walk toward the kitchen to get something to eat. Though he didn't get far for Kazumi grabbed a hold of her father's wrist and tugged at him, as if trying to get him to stay where he was. "Kazumi, he used you." He calmly said.

"No he didn't! He loves me dad! I know he does, he loves me as much as I love him!" Kazumi shouted, tears started to pool into her eyes blurring her vision. She loved Yamihebi more than anything, nothing was going to stop that kind of love no matter what her father, or anyone said to her.

Naruto turned to Kazumi as he tried to stare at her calmly. Kazumi just glared as she said "he wasn't using you dad! I've spent time with him; I know who he really is! He's a good man who had only been told lies his whole life and tried to make up for his dark childhood!" She didn't care what her dad said; Yamihebi was a good man, someone that she would do anything for. Sure, she may not know of his dark past but deep down, she could sense that he was a good man. Not just because he helped her with her fears but because he saved her time and again, he showed her that the world is not as it would seem to be. That really, it was just how you made the world, your world, to be. And her world involved Yamihebi with her family.

Naruto though, just narrowed his eyes at the lavender eyed teen. Kazumi knew that she had crossed a line but at the moment she didn't care. All she cared about was to get her father to change his mind about Yamihebi and to bring him back. Was he really just mad because Yamihebi wasn't human like they were? Did her dad hate demons even though he had one sealed within his very body from the moment he had been born? If that was the case then her dad was a bit of a hypocrite.

"Dad, Yamihebi meant well… I could sense that when I was around him. He was never a bad guy, just raised by a bad person. I may have ended up like that if I was raised by someone like that but right now…" Kazumi said with soft eyes. Sure, she didn't have a perfect life either but at least she had been raised by loving parents even when she had nothing but problems.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he said "Kazumi, I've done nothing but to keep you safe. Even if it means I have to keep you safe from him. He's a bad seed Kazumi; he's just like Orochimaru… he only follows in Orochimaru's foot prints, like I do with my own father."

Kazumi narrowed her eyes. Not everyone turned out to be like their father. She knew that better than anyone. After all, she didn't turn out to be just like her father, no, in fact she had her own likes and dislikes and personality. Shaking her head, Kazumi shouted "you will never be like grandpa nor will I ever be like you!" With that said, Kazumi ran upstairs to her room.

Kazumi ran as fast as she could to her room, wanting to get away from her father. Why was he being so stubborn?! Why couldn't he see that Yamihebi was really a nice guy that only had a troubled life and had tried to make others happy? Sniffling, Kazumi got to her bedroom and closed the door then locking it.

Wiping her eyes, the young woman looked out the window as she tried to think on what she should do. Her father would surely have some kind of lock or something at the door to prevent her from leaving the house but… wait. Walking toward her window, the lavender eyed teen opened the window to see that it wasn't locked. Maybe she would be able to see Yamihebi after all!

Smiling, Kazumi went to her closet and pulled out all of her bed sheets, and removed the ones that have been on her bed as well before tying all the ends to make a long rope. Smiling brightly, Kazumi tied the one end of the rope to her bed post before throwing the other end out of her window. Praying that it was long enough, the young woman started to climb on down the ladder, she had a mission and nothing was going to stop her.

* * *

Yamihebi looked up at the darkened sky, he had lost track of how long he had been out here. Not that it mattered anymore anyway. Sighing softly, the young man grabbed his guitar and just started to mindlessly strum the strings. _'I must have become more like a wolf… never being allowed to see Kazumi… I've never felt so empty before.'_

Looking over, Yamihebi just blankly stared at his surroundings. He was just sitting in the park, he was alone. Sighing softly, he rolled his head back so he was looking up at the sky. "Kazumi…" He whispered softly, sure he had heard that wolves only pick one female wolf to be their mate and that the female had other choices but… did that also count for wolf demons? Or even half-demon?

Blinking slowly, Yamihebi sighed softly as he tried to get himself to calm down or even to relax. Though that wasn't going to be possible at this point. Yawning softly, the young man started to strum the strings a little more, singing a long mostly to himself as he tried hard to forget about his pain. To forget that he felt nothing inside of himself. He was nothing, but a hallow empty shell of his former self.

_All I ever wanted  
was to be at your service  
but now I'm alone  
cause you were here and you're gone_

He sang to himself, amazingly he could with how long his fangs were. Yamihebi's words were so sad, heartbroken. It was as if he had just given up on love, given up on life. The young man just looked up at the sky, as if he would get an answer to his question, if he would ever see Kazumi again… if he would ever be able to hold her in his arms and kiss her… without her calling him a monster.

_And all I ever wanted  
was to feel I had a purpose  
but now that's all gone_

Closing his eyes behind his blindfold as he sang. One could definitely tell that he was a heartbroken young man not just by his voice, but how he sat. His head hung over the back of the bench, his legs sprawled out toward the sidewalk, as if he didn't give a damn about tripping anyone as he wallowed in self-pity and heart ache.

_But if you could give me  
just one love  
just one life  
just one chance to believe in mine  
just one love  
just one life  
you'd bleed for me  
and I didn't dare to notice you  
now I'm stuck  
out on a line.  
Bleed for me  
I didn't care to be with you  
now you're stuck in my mind_

He bit his lower lip for a moment, oh how he wanted to be with Kazumi again. Yamihebi could picture her in his mind, a sure sign that he just couldn't get her off of his mind. Hell, he could hear a voice deep within himself, saying that Kazumi was the one he was meant to be with. But, he couldn't if she hated him, if he was forbidden to be with her because of something he never wanted to be a part of in the first place.

_All I ever wanted  
was to be what you needed  
cause something so strong  
it could never be wrong.  
And all I can promise  
is to say what I'm feeling  
We've made it so long_

The young man couldn't help the tears that started to stream down his face. He didn't care if it soaked his blindfold. He had wanted to spend his whole life with Kazumi and now… he just couldn't bare it. He couldn't be with her and Yamihebi felt dead inside. He felt like his heart had been torn from his chest and stomped onto the ground.

_But if you could give me  
just one love  
just one life  
just one chance to believe in mine  
just one love  
just one life  
you'd bleed for me  
and I didn't dare to notice you  
now I'm stuck  
out on a line.  
You'd bleed for me  
I didn't care to be with you  
now you're stuck in my mind_

Using his tail, he reached up and removed his blindfold from his face, not able to stand the dampness over his eyes. After he removed it, the young man couldn't help but stare at the sky, just watching the stars sparkle in the sky with beauty… a beauty that he felt like he would never see again.

_Just one love in my life...  
You'd bleed for me  
and I didn't dare to notice you  
now I'm stuck  
out on a line.  
Bleed for me  
I didn't care to be with you  
now you're stuck in my mind_

Yamihebi mindlessly strum the strings of his guitar, not caring if the song would sound good or not anymore. Taking a deep breath, the young man just sighed softly before he rolled his head to the side, just laying his head on the back of the bench. Yamihebi didn't care anymore; he just didn't give a damn about his life.

_Just one love in my life…  
Just one love in my life…_

Yamihebi sighed softly as he took his guitar off and set it aside. Maybe he should just sleep, maybe that way he could forget about his pain for the time being until morning. Yawning softly, the young man turned his body so he could lie down. Maybe some sleep was something he definitely would need right now.

As soon as he laid his head on the arm rest of the bench, he gasped at who was standing over him. Staring with wide eyes, Yamihebi could only say one thing as the name passed by his lips. "Kazumi…" Yamihebi just stared at Kazumi; she stared at him with kindness and love within her beautiful lavender depths. He never knew that she could look even more beautiful… Kazumi took a lock of her long blonde and blue tipped hair and tucked it behind her ear before she gave him a bright smile.

Acting quickly, he sat up and stared at her with wide eyes. How did she find him? Why is she here?! Didn't Naruto point out that Kazumi would never see him again no matter how much he hated the idea of being separated from the only girl he'll ever love? Gulping, Yamihebi said "Kazumi… is… is that really you?"

Kazumi just smiled gently before she nodded. "Of course it's me Yami… I climbed out my bedroom window just so I could find you. If you hadn't been singing, I don't think I would have ever found you." That could have worked, though he didn't think that he had been that loud. Inhaling deeply, he pushed himself to his feet before wrapping his arms around Kazumi. It was amazing that Kazumi, his Kazumi, would have ran off just to find him.

Maybe… he was meant to be happy after all.

Kazumi smiled up at Yamihebi before she stood on her toes and kissed him gently. Yamihebi of course, returned that kiss… he was going to protect Kazumi and nothing was going to stop him… Though, he couldn't help but wonder if he should go back to stop his mother…


	16. Chapter 16

_I was back with Kazumi once more, though I didn't know what we were to do. But when I saw this look on Kazumi's face, I knew what she wanted us to do…_

Yamihebi couldn't help but hold onto Kazumi, it was nice to be able to have his arms wrapped around her. It just felt so right to hold her in his arms, to kiss her… to love her. Taking a deep breath, he nuzzled her hair as he inhaled her sweet scent. No matter how many times he smelled her wonderful natural scent, it got a bit of him going so to speak.

"What happened to you Yamihebi?" asked Kazumi as she nuzzled his chest. He had been expecting her to ask him that to be honest.

Taking a deep breath, the young man calmly started to explain what had happened. "I was with your father… we were talking and… my mother showed up." He felt Kazumi stiffen; he figured that the last time she saw his mother that it had frightened her a bit. Looking down at her, he added "my mother's men had me pinned down so I couldn't do anything to save your father, and Naruto was being strangled. I had only two options. Unlock my demon block, knowing the risks that I would never look human again, or let your father die…"

"You chose to save him…"

"Yeah… I feared that you would be afraid of me but, I couldn't let you live your life without your father in it, like my life had been. So, I took the risk to save Naruto." Yamihebi whispered softly, as if speaking too loud would ruin the tender moment that was surrounding them. Taking a deep breath, the young man pulled back so he could stare at the blonde, and blue haired teen, wanting to get every last inch of her face in his memory, hoping that it would be enough so long as he could remember her. "Kazumi… I'm only going to keep bringing danger to you and your family. Look at me… I'm a monster and people will chase me out."

"I don't see a monster…" whispered Kazumi.

"Kazumi-"

"No! You are not a monster! You were raised by someone who can't accept that her lover didn't love her and died because of his own selfish desires! You risked your humanity to save my father! You will _never_ be a monster!" shouted Kazumi as she tightly held onto the shocked half-demon's shirt.

Did she really think that he wasn't a monster? Giving a soft and gentle smile, Yamihebi lifted his hand and gently cupped her cheek as he whispered "I love you Kazumi." He chuckled softly before he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Kazumi's. Just holding onto Kazumi, careful not to hurt her… it was hard to believe that such a pure girl like her would love someone like him.

Taking a deep breath, the young man looked at Kazumi before he said "let's go… find a place that will accept us and our love…" He gave her a small smile before leaning forward to kiss her. Only for Kazumi to place her hand on his chest and push. Frowning a bit, Yamihebi tilted his head at Kazumi as he asked "what's going on? What's wrong?" He frowned a little more as he tried to think on what was going on.

"We have to go back… we have to tell my father what's going on… Your mother's plan had failed right? What would she do next?" Kazumi asked with a hint of concern.

Inhaling deeply, the young man knew that something like that was going to happen. Though, now that Kazumi mentioned it his mother's first plan with Naruto had failed… So she would go back to a backup plan right? Frowning he tried to think on what was going on. What his mother would do for a moment though suddenly, his eyes widened for a moment. "Mom would try to take him down by force…"

* * *

Naruto sighed softly; he felt bad for getting mad at Kazumi and knew that he had to do something to make it up to his only daughter. Sighing softly, Naruto ran a hand through his hair as he tried to think on what he was going to say to her. Kazumi, in a sense was like him and never saw to reason. Though in a way she was also like her mother and followed her heart. Ugh, this was all confusing…

Shaking his head, the blonde haired man walked up the stairs, wondering if Kazumi would see to reason. She would have to right? Running a hand through his blonde locks, Naruto tried to keep himself calm. This was just as bad as when he had to tell Kazumi about boys and how Hinata had to tell her about the other important things about how a woman's body changes. No way, it was worse when Tsunade gave him 'the talk' since he was still young when she took him in after running off from home. Yawning, Naruto walked up the stairs and finally got to his daughters room. Maybe… which was a big maybe on this, she would see to reason. At least he was hoping.

Knocking on the door, Naruto calmly said "Kazumi, I'm sorry… I only said you couldn't see him because I want to keep you safe. Nothing more…" He frowned a bit when he didn't get an answer from her. Scratching the back of his head, he said "come on Kazumi, you know ignoring your father isn't going to work." Again no answer. This was starting to annoy him to no end. Kazumi never have been able to ignore anyone unless she was listening to her mp3 so she wouldn't be able to hear anyone to answer. Shaking his head, Naruto opened the door and walked in saying "listen here Kazumi I won't be ignored and- Kazumi?!"

She wasn't in her room? Window wide open, all her bed sheets hanging out her window?! Damn it! Running down the stairs, Naruto screamed for his wife. Hoping, praying that she was around so she would come to him. This was huge, his daughter was missing and now there was no telling what could happen.

"Hinata!" shouted Naruto, hoping that his wife would hear him. Taking a deep breath, Naruto stopped in the kitchen, hoping that she was in here, since it was around dinner right now. Frowning, he saw Hinata on the ground, and someone standing over her. "You!" shouted Naruto as he growled softly. He remembered that woman… it was Yuki, the one that had loved Orochimaru and Yamihebi's crazy mother. "Get away from my wife!" shouted Naruto.

"Why Naruto, why would you think I'd do anything to your wife? After all, I never hurt you two when you were children." Said Yuki as she rose up on her feet a little, staring at Naruto with a dark smile. What the hell did she mean that she never hurt them when they were kids? Naruto didn't even know her as a child in the first place so how would… "You don't remember do you Naruto? I'm hurt…" said Yuki with a mock frown before walking over to Naruto, tracing the scar on his face. "I'm surprised you didn't remember… after all… I gave you that scar on your face."

Eyes widening, Naruto shook his head and shoved Yuki away from him. "What the hell are you talking about?! That was a man that attacked me and Hinata!" shouted the angry blonde man, his blue eyes turned red as he looked ready to kill. Though for now he kept that desire to himself, there was no way that he was going to give Yuki the joy of him losing control.

Yuki laughed as she walked around Naruto and wrapped her arms around his chest and his stomach as if she was hugging her lover. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to keep himself calm, though he didn't know if this was going to get worse or if something was going to happen. "Now Naruto, of course you would think it was a man. I wore something to give me the appearance of a man… and I wore a voice changer so you wouldn't think. But after all… I am after all… your death."

As soon as she said that, Naruto's eyes widened in shock before he grabbed Yuki and threw her through the glass door. Growling, Naruto walked through the broken door and glared at Yuki, his pupils turned into slits as red chakra started to form around his body. A sure sign that he was getting ready for a battle. Growling he said "you attacked me and Hinata when we were kids?! Orochimaru hired you?! I should kill you but lucky for you I don't kill people."

Yuki just smirked; the wounds from the glass cutting her flesh had already started to heal. Something he knew all too well from when Kurama would heal his own wounds. Though it seemed that Yuki was enjoying this, just the thrill of pain and torment no matter if it was toward her or someone else. The crazy woman pushed herself up to her feet and just had a crazy smile on her face. "I didn't just torment you Naruto, oh no… I also tormented your daughter so my plan would go into motion… though of course I had hoped my puppet would have ended her."

Eyes widening, Naruto stared at Yuki as if trying to process what she had just said. Though, even know he heard her, he didn't get what she meant at all in the least. What did she mean? What puppet and how could a puppet kill her at all? Shaking his head, Naruto narrowed his eyes into slits as he said "what the hell are you talking about?"

Yuki just grinned, a grin that made Naruto think of Orochimaru. "That one girl… from when your daughter was five… didn't you find it a little odd that a little girl like her was close to killing your little princess?" Now that she mentioned it, Miyoko did act a little strange… and after the whole thing she claimed that she didn't remember it. That had been a little strange but he had thought that maybe Miyoko had a split personality but…

"You can control people can't you?"

"Yes of course I can Naruto. Though, I can only control certain people to a degree. They would have to have darkness in their hearts against someone and Miyoko was the only one that had hatred toward your daughter though wouldn't act on it because she didn't want to get in trouble and, she didn't have the heart to do it no matter how much she hated her." Yuki said with a smirk before she burst out in laughter.

Naruto growled, the red chakra started to grow wilder, forming the body of a nine tailed fox around him. "I'm going to make you wish you were dead once I'm through with you!" Letting out a battle cry, Naruto charged and tackled Yuki down to the ground. She punched at him; Naruto returned the attack with a swing of his claws.

Yuki kicked Naruto off of her, Naruto back flipped away from her before narrowing his eyes at her for a moment. "I'll kill you!" shouted Yuki before charging at Naruto. There was no way that he was going to lose to this woman. She broke into his house, hurt his wife, threatened his daughter's life when she was young… and she also attacked both himself and Hinata when they were children! She was going to pay!

Using many of his chakra nine tails, Naruto thrust them toward Yuki, hoping to impale her or at least pin her down to the ground. If he could get her to stay down, then maybe he could even call the cops. That would be something to get Yuki to leave him and his family alone but, Naruto also knew that with her being a demon that it would be tough to keep her in jail.

Yuki laughed like a crazy person, her eyes glowing brightly. Naruto didn't know what that meant but whatever it was, it wasn't working. Growling, he charged at her again, swinging his tails around and smacked her at the side. Yuki was thrown into the side, causing her to yelp from surprise. The pain itself wasn't enough to keep her down. Oh no, for as soon as she hit the wall she had pushed herself back up and charged toward Naruto with her claws raised.

Jumping in the air, Naruto did a spin kick, sending Yuki to the ground once more and pinned her down to the ground. It seemed like he had won this match, and for that he would be damn pleased right about now. "This is the end Yuki." Growled out Naruto as he was about to reach for his phone… that is, until he felt a burning pain in his shoulder. Eyes widening, Naruto turned his gaze and saw Yuki had jabbed her hand right through the flesh and bone of his shoulder. Naruto didn't scream, didn't yelp, didn't anything.

Yuki just smirked as she shoved Naruto aside and laughed. "This is the end of you Naruto Uzumaki." She said with a laugh before she was going to stab Naruto in the heart. Naruto looked up in shock and closed his eyes. Waiting for the pain to come, he waited, and waited, and waited. But, nothing came.

"Get away from my father!" shouted a girl's voice.

"You stay the fuck away from him mother!" shouted a boy's voice.

Opening his eyes, Naruto was in shock when he saw two people standing by him, and Yuki had moved away without him knowing. Shaking his head, he didn't know what was going on though he wasn't complaining at all. Taking a deep breath, Naruto just stared at his daughter as she glared at Yuki. Looking over to the other side, he saw Yamihebi growling at his mother… both of them came to save him.

"Yamihebi… my son, why do you want to fight me?"

"Because you're a crazy ass bitch that deserves to be taken down once and for all!" shouted Yamihebi before he pulled out a necklace that was hidden under his shirt. The charm on it was a snake wrapped around a sword. The charm started to glow brightly before it turned into a long silver sword. Yamihebi narrowed his golden eyes before saying "you're going down… mother."


	17. Chapter 17

_Today, this is going to end… I will end this today, and now. I won't allow this woman to control my life, to control my actions. I will do what I please from now on… I. Will. End. This._

"Now Yamihebi… why would you want to hurt your own mother?" asked Yuki with an innocent tilt of her head. Yamihebi almost seemed more enraged, that was the look that she would always use when he was younger. Damn it, sometimes he wondered if she had been hard of hearing, why would she ask the same damn thing twice? Maybe she was more mentally unstable than he had thought.

Growling, he said "I will maim you. I won't kill you mother, I'm not like you. Instead, I'll beat you so bad that you'll wish you were dead!" The young man knew that if he killed is mother that it would make him no better than she was. Taking a deep breath, the young man narrowed his gold eyes as his grip on the hilt of his sword tightened. In fact, his grip was so tight that his knuckles had turned white from the pressure.

Yuki's eyes seemed strange… almost as if she had truly gone insane. Growling, the two started to attack; swords clashing with each and every single strike and slash at each other. Yamihebi knew that this was going to be tough, though at the moment he didn't give a damn. He had to hurry and end this before it went too far. Turning his gaze to Kazumi and Naruto for a brief moment, the young man saw that both Naruto and Kazumi were fighting a battle themselves.

Naruto's body was still covered in that strange red light that gave him the outline of a nine tailed fox. As for Kazumi she was doing that weird thrusting palm thing that he saw her do when they had been mugged.

Turning back to his mother, the young man narrowed his golden eyes at his mother, trying to be careful not to gaze into her eyes. He knew that even though they both could use the same power it could still affect the other. At least, now it could with him since he had gained more control over his painful gaze. Taking a deep breath, the young man swung the sword toward his mother's left side. Hoping that would be enough to phase her in some way.

Sadly, it didn't seem like it was meant to be, for she had managed to block it. After that had deflected the blade, Yuki smirked before lifting her leg and slamming her foot into her son's stomach. Yamihebi gaged and fell over onto the ground before jumping back up onto his feet. Okay, so his mother was better than he originally thought, though that wasn't going to stop him. Not at the moment anyway.

Taking a deep breath, Yamihebi knew that he would have to trust his other senses that were possibly what his mother was doing as well. Demons didn't trust their eyes, they used their other senses, and they could feel the movements of their opponents. Maybe that was why his father… did the deed with his mother. _'No matter how many times I think of that, I feel sick to my stomach.'_ thought the young man before shaking his head.

Narrowing his eyes, Yamihebi rushed forward once more, his mother swung the sword that she carried. Getting ready to take her son down if she had to. Though Yamihebi had seen this coming. Instead of just blindly rushing forward, he jumped into the air, twisting his body as if he was like the hero in one of those action packed films dodging bullets while everything slowed down around him. When the time was right, he smacked the dull side of the sword into his mother's face, sending her flying.

Yuki flew and landed on the pavement hard. Not what he had been expecting from his mother but hey, he wasn't going to complain about this. Taking a deep breath, Yamihebi walked toward Yuki, trying to be careful not to take this fight lightly. There was no way of knowing what was going to happen.

Narrowing his eyes, Yamihebi carefully walked toward his mother. The sword held back as he was ready to defend himself. Rolling his shoulders a bit to help loosen them up, the young man tried to think on what she would do next. There was just no way of knowing for his body kept on sensing different attacks coming. One from the side, her just appearing at the back and stabbing him, or her tripping him by kicking his legs from under himself.

He just couldn't tell where his mother was going to attack him from. There were just so many possibilities that the young man just couldn't figure this out at all. "I hope you enjoy this moment mother, because this will be the only time we bond." Said Yamihebi before he held his sword up high, since it seemed that his mother wasn't going to strike so maybe it had been just him being paranoid in her trying to attack him.

Instead, Yuki jumped back up onto her feet and spun in the air kicking her son in the head. Yelping from the shock, Yamihebi growled when he back flipped in the air and landed on his feet and his fingers of his sword-free hand grazed the pavement. Eyes flashing red for a moment, Yamihebi took a deep breath before rubbing his now throbbing temple. Damn his mother could kick hard for her age.

Shoving himself up onto his feet, Yamihebi rushed forward and tried to slash at his mother though she just jumped into the air; doing the same move that Yamihebi had done just moments before. Now she was going to steal his moves? Oh hell no! Bending himself backward, Yamihebi reached up toward his mother with his long sleek black tail and wrapped it around her ankle before throwing her into the wall that just so happened to have been nearby.

Pushing himself up, Yamihebi took a deep breath as he tried to think of a new tactic right now. It seemed that any plan he would have seemed to do little to no good to him. Inhaling sharply, the black haired teen tightened his hold on his sword as he prepared for another strike. He had to think on this clearly. Just had to think on what his next move should be for the time being. Maybe he could strike her from behind or something along those lines?

Shaking his head, Yamihebi turned the sword back into the little sword charm and slid it into his pocket for now. He was going to have to fight like a demon. After all, a demon's claws were just as sharp as any of the finest swords. Looking back at his mother, his pupils turned into slits, his fangs grew a little longer as did his claws. He was prepared for a fight…

Howling, Yamihebi rushed toward his mother and slashed his claws at her. Just leaving a small cut on her left cheek. Okay, not what he had waited to do but hey, at least it was something. He was after all, still adjusting to his demon strength and claws.

"So you're finally using your demon blood after all my son." Said Yuki as she wiped her cheek and licked the blood that stained her palm and fingers. Okay, that was gross.

Shaking his head, Yamihebi growled softly before rushing forward once more and kicked his mother in the side. Sending her flying once more only she flipped through the air and landed on her feet before rushing toward him. The sword still held tightly in her hand as she tried to swing it at Yamihebi. There was no way that he was going to let his mother hurt anyone. She wouldn't hurt Naruto, Kazumi, Hinata, his brother and sister…

Growling, the young man said "I won't let you hurt anyone again. I won't let you hurt Naruto, or his family. Just like how I won't allow you to hurt me, or Aya or Ayumu!" Yamihebi growled once more before charging toward his mother and slammed his fist into her face. Narrowing his eyes, he then grabbed his mother by her shoulders and threw her to the ground and slammed his foot into her spine.

Taking a deep breath, the young man never knew that he could have that much anger in his body… Maybe it was because of all the abuse and torment his mother had put him through his whole life and now, it finally came out to the point that he could harness its power to destroy anyone in his path. Though, he wouldn't really use it to kill his mother… he'd send her to a mental institution so that way she can finally get the help that she's always needed.

Inhaling sharply, the young man knew that he would have to be careful. There was no telling what his mother would pull in order to kill him or even maim him.

Yuki pushed herself up and smirked as she wiped her mouth, freeing itself of blood. "I'm surprised that you have this much strength. If I had known you had this much power then… well, I would have had you kill Naruto so much sooner rather than use you to get to his daughter." She said with a dark and sinister chuckle. It was official; his mother was obsessed with power.

Yamihebi wanted to defeat her or else she would just keep coming back. He couldn't handle that if that was the case. Taking a deep breath, the young man dug his heel in his mother's spine, hoping that would cause her to stop moving so much until he could restrain her. He would have to be careful or else just one wrong move and he would be done for good. Shaking his head, Yamihebi looked over and saw Naruto and Kazumi pinning down two people he knew all too well. It was his brother and sister everyone else that had been with his mother had been taken down.

"Don't hurt them, that's my brother and sister Ayumu and Aya, please they're not bad they were just raised wrong!" shouted Yamihebi, hoping that Naruto and Kazumi would hear him. He just couldn't think of the idea of his siblings getting hurt because of him or their mother.

Yamihebi saw Naruto and Kazumi nod. At least that was a sure sign that they heard him. Turning back to his mother, Yamihebi was about to say 'any last words before you're taken away mother'? But sadly, before he could react fast enough, his mother had grabbed the sword while he was distracted and stabbed Yamihebi in the chest with it.

The young man stared with wide eyes before he coughed up blood and staggered backward. How was this happening? He didn't even sense his mother's move at all and now he had been stabbed! "Yamihebi!" shouted Kazumi; he didn't know if she was running toward him but dear god he hoped now. Wheezing in pain, Yamihebi staggered a little more away from his mother before falling over. Gasping out in pain, he ripped out the sword from his chest and groaned. Damn it, if he wasn't half-demon this would have killed him. Looking up at his mother through pain filled eyes; he saw her walking toward him with a dark grin on her face. She looked ready to kill…

"I had hoped that the only son of Orochimaru would listen to me more… would do as he was told so we could finish off Naruto and his family so we could take his company!" Yuki said with a crazy look in her eyes. Yamihebi had never seen that look on his mother's face before, though what he did know was that her sanity had finally left her. It seemed that there was really no saving her no matter what he did. "Time to die Yamihebi! May your father accept you for your betrayal!" shouted Yuki as she looked ready to strike… only, for the weirdest thing to have happened…

Yuki slipped on the blood that had spilled from Yamihebi's wound and fell on the sword. The sword had gone through her rib cage, through her heart and stuck out through the back of her ribs. Okay, he hadn't really been trying to kill his mother but this whole thing itself was still pretty shocking to him. Closing his eyes, Yamihebi threw the body aside as he whispered "it's over…"


	18. Chapter 18

_I feel nothing but despair, I never meant to kill my own mother but… I guess it was one of those things that happened. She had died, the way my father did… My mother and father had been consumed by their own darkness and now that darkness had consumed them and they died in the progress. Now, I face my own darkness though not through anger but through depression over the guilt of killing someone… even if that person was evil…_

Yamihebi slowly started to open his eyes and looked around. He wondered how long he had been asleep for though guessed that by the sun's angle in his room that it was almost noon. Sighing softly, the young man pushed himself up only to hiss out in pain. The wound to his chest still hurt though it was a sign that he was still alive. Inhaling slowly, he sat up a little more in his bed before swinging his legs over the side. Looking around, he saw his brother Ayumu sitting on the arm chair, and his sister Aya sitting on the floor, both of them were sound asleep.

Giving a soft smile, he pushed himself up, trying hard not to make a sound. He didn't want to wake them, thinking that they deserved to sleep after he killed their mother… killed… Frowning, Yamihebi lowered his head, his bangs covering his eyes as he thought _'I can't believe I killed someone…'_ Rubbing his forehead the teen grabbed his jacket and threw it on, he didn't want to put his shirt on thinking it would interfere with the stiches that he had on his chest and back.

At least the leather wouldn't get caught on the stiches. Looking at his siblings once more, Yamihebi walked out of the room and noticed that he wasn't in the guest house at all… In fact, he remembered the hall very well from when he was helping Kazumi singing… he was in Naruto's house.

Frowning a bit, Yamihebi looked around the house a little more and guessed that everyone had gone out. Ah well, they might have expected him to sleep a little longer. Not like it mattered anyway. Shaking his head, the young man started to walk through the halls. Trying to think if he should stay here… Sure, he'd love to stay here and be with Kazumi forever but, did he have that right?

Did he deserve someone as pure as Kazumi? Sighing softly, Yamihebi didn't think he did. Kazumi was just so pure, her soul was never tainted with the thought of being a demon, never been tainted by blood lust or the desire to kill. Then of course, she didn't have blood on her hands. He stopped walking for a moment at the thought of it. No, he could never be enough for Kazumi… she deserved someone deserving and pure as her.

Taking a deep breath, the young man kept on walking hoping to sneak out of this place before he had been forced to stay here. Looking on ahead, the young man saw the front door; he must have been so distracted that he hadn't even noticed that he had walked that far. The pain in his chest was just so mind blowing that he hadn't noticed… sadly, it was the wound from the sword but the pain of heart ache.

Giving a sad smile, he started to head toward the door hoping that he would be able to sneak away from this place and just wonder around the world. He didn't think that his soul would ever be pure… maybe it was better this way. Kazumi would find someone else, and she could be happy to be with someone else… _'It's for the best…'_ thought the young man with a sigh as he reached for the door knob.

"Where do you think you're going?" said a male's voice, causing Yamihebi to freeze and turn around as he stared at Naruto. He was dressed in simple clothing… An orange t-shirt and a pair of brown kakis… Something he didn't think that Naruto would really wear but it fit the man. Turning away, Yamihebi didn't think that he could tell Naruto the truth. That he didn't belong here didn't deserve to be with Kazumi. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, wondering why Naruto held onto him like a father would to his son.

"Yamihebi… I don't know how to thank you for protecting me and Kazumi. I guess I had been afraid that you would turn into your father." Naruto said, his voice sounding calm and happy, yet comforting. "I feared for my family's safety but, you had proven yourself that you would do anything to protect those dear to you."

"I killed my mother…" whispered Yamihebi.

"That may be true, but you didn't mean it. Kazumi thinks that as well… Talk to her Yamihebi, she had been worried about you all night." The teen couldn't help but frown, Kazumi had been worried about him? Hadn't she been afraid of him at all? Taking a deep breath, the young man had a feeling that it would have come to this that Kazumi would want to talk to him after he had woken up. All he could do was nod to Naruto before turning away from the door and started to make his way to Kazumi's bedroom.

At least, he was hoping that she was in her room…

Yamihebi felt awkward walking to Kazumi's room. Was it because he felt that she would hate him and tell him to leave? Or was that all in his head? Frowning, he slapped himself mentally as he got those thoughts out of his head. Why would Naruto tell him that Kazumi waited for him only to really mean that Kazumi wanted nothing to do with him? If he knew anything about the blonde haired man it was that he was no lair.

Maybe he was just over thinking this. Could be that he was just nervous that Kazumi would never want to be around him anymore when really she did want to be near him? Scratching his left temple, the black haired young man knew that he should stop thinking like this. It was only going to drive him crazy if this kept up.

Looking around, the young man noticed that he was already up the stairs… Okay, he's really gotta start focusing or he would end up bumping into a wall or something.

Yawning, Yamihebi winced when his fang dub into his lower lip for a moment, damn it. Why did he still have these things in the first place? It didn't make sense that he still had fangs but then forgot that he had unleashed his demon blood and he couldn't suppress it anymore. It was definitely gonna be hard to live like a normal human unless there was some kind of charm that could be used to hide his true appearance at this point.

Frowning at the thought, Yamihebi figured that may be a little too much wishful thinking since there could be no such thing.

Sighing softly, the young man looked up again and saw that he now finally stood in front of Kazumi's room. Hoping to get himself to calm down, he knew that he would have to get himself to relax before talking to Kazumi. There was no way of knowing how he would react when he got to Kazumi but at the moment he knew that he should do what he could to talk to her… maybe she could even save him.

Soon, the door started to open, Yamihebi felt the air stay stuck in his throat as he waited for Kazumi to say or even yell at him. Anything, he had only been expecting were only negative really. Not really expecting her to say or do anything positive toward him. What he hadn't expected from her though, was a hug.

A gentle hug at that…

What made it even more awkward for him was that since he wasn't wearing a shirt; his skin was more sensitive to what he was feeling. And he could feel a lot more of Kazumi's chest than he had ever thought possible. Blushing deep red, he gently pushed her back so he could get himself under control. It was amazing really, just how much power she had over him.

"You okay?" asked Kazumi with a tilt of her head, wondering if she had hurt him from her hug. Oh how much he wanted to tell her that he's fine really. But he couldn't, couldn't tell her that he felt just how big her breasts really were. Shaking his head a little more, the young man calmly stared at Kazumi as he tried to think on what he should say to her…

Gulping, he calmly said "I'm fine… uh; your dad said you wanted to talk to me?" When he saw Kazumi nod, she started to walk into her room with him right behind her. As he looked over at Kazumi, he couldn't help but blush, damn his demon sight. He even saw things so much better, such as every movement her body made when she walked, the way her long, blonde and blue tipped hair bounced as she walked.

He was a dead man in a way…

Once he sat down, Yamihebi ran a hand through his hair as he tried to get himself to calm down as he stared at Kazumi for a moment and frowned a bit. This was going to be hard, how was he going to tell her that he didn't deserve her anymore now that he was pretty much a murderer?

"Yamihebi… are you still upset about your mother?" asked Kazumi with a frown, causing him to stare at her with wide eyes from shock. Was he just that easy to read?

Sighing softly, Yamihebi nodded as he said "yeah, I just… I wasn't planning to…" He just couldn't say what was on his mind. It was just one of those things that he couldn't bring himself to say. Just like how it took him so long to confess his feelings for Kazumi. "I hadn't been planning to kill her. I just wanted her to stay down so I could take her to a mental ward so she could get some help."

Kazumi just stared at him; he could feel her gaze burning into him though it wasn't a stare of hate. No, far from that… it was a stare of worry and concern.

"Yamihebi, you didn't mean to, I know that much. It doesn't make you any less of a kind person."

"How can you still think of me as a kind person when my mother's blood still stains my hands even though…" he knew that there wasn't blood anymore on his hands but, the image never left his mind. It had been burned into his memory, and it would never go away anytime soon.

"You're still you… and the kind heart that you have is what made me fall in love with you." She said with a soft and gentle smile before hugging him. Yamihebi blushed darkly before hugging her back… Kazumi was… she was just too pure to let a person's darkness cloud her judgement of others. And for once, he was happy for that…

* * *

Yamihebi rolled his shoulders as he held onto his guitar. Naruto had a concert to do to help raise money for a children's hospital and he of course offered to help. Along with his brother and sister, Kazumi and Hinata. Two bands playing some songs to help raise money? Who wouldn't want to see that huh?

Taking a deep breath, the young man looked around and saw that Naruto's band, some people named Sasuke and Sakura were getting their instruments ready for the concert. Naruto put on a headset since they were going to use the mics on the headsets to reach the speakers.

Though what had confused the young man was the song that Yamihebi had chosen. It was odd how the song matched him in a way. Ah well, at the moment he didn't care, so long as they could play some awesome music he was happy.

Taking a deep breath, they started to play, Hinata and Kazumi since they didn't play instruments mostly clapped to the song since apparently clapping was included, that and backup singers.

_Sever all the pain from memories plagued in vain  
Stop the endless woe you've come to know  
Find your heart and soul; Break through every wall  
Until you reach your goal  
C'mon, clap your hands and fight until your finally made whole_

Yamihebi sang the first part of the song. It was almost as if he could feel the lyrics flowing through his body, through every single cell of his entire being. It was strange yes, but this was also something he didn't mind feeling while he played.

_Gazing skyward, and so sure tomorrow will arrive…  
I don't know how I'll get through by myself  
With my heart in a daze_

Naruto sang this part as he gave Hinata a soft smile, leaning his forehead against hers as he closed his eyes. Just letting the song engulf him as he let out a soft sigh of content before moving away from Hinata and kept on playing the guitar.

_The birds beside me soar away into the endless sky  
Will they find with their free spirits the light  
At the end of this maze?  
Please wait… I want to fly with you  
Let me on your back to look for my soul  
All the pain that haunts me to this day will vanish  
If I just reach up higher, I'll find what I desire  
I'll never tire 'til I…_

Yamihebi grinned as he sang, tilted himself backward to stare at Kazumi and gave her a soft and gentle smile. She smiled back at him as she and her mother clapped with the song. Twisting his body around, Yamihebi circled around Kazumi before his face was by hers and kissing her cheek. Chuckling, he moved away from her before joining Naruto, standing next to him, their backs against each other as if they were total opposites, Yin and Yang.

_Sever all the pain from memories plagued in vain  
And stop the endless woe you've come to know  
Find your heart and soul; Break through every wall  
Until you reach your goal  
C'mon, clap your hands and fight until you're finally made whole_

Yamihebi found it amazing that he could still sing with his fangs. Though, what also made him happy was that apparently his charm that could turn into anything, also acted as a seal, a seal to make himself appear human to everyone that didn't know his secret. Plucking the strings, Yamihebi and Naruto had their heads bend downward as they played, allowing the music to wash over them.

_In the dark of night and sitting in the endless breeze  
I am bent down to the ground with no strength  
And I'm lost in despair_

Taking a deep breath, Yamihebi started to walk forward as did Naruto. Both of them sang the rest of the songs together. They were no longer enemies, they were equals because they both had a tough upbringing, but now they knew that their future would remain bright.

_It's time like these, I wish I had some wings to fly with ease  
I don't mind even being the Melissa sailing high in the air  
I've tried to stand upon my feet  
But every time, I fall back down again_

Yamihebi faced everyone and saw that they were happily clapping along with everyone. He had to admit, it was nice to play happy songs instead of dark ones or once only meant on despair rather than the other emotions that were in the human heart. He couldn't help the big grin that plastered itself on his face.

_Maybe this is not the way to find my answer  
The wind is calling to me, and it is guiding me free  
And I will then find…_

Naruto and Yamihebi stood and stared at the crowd, both strumming the stings quickly as if they had no bones in their fingers what so ever. Yamihebi turned back and stared at Kazumi as he gave her a soft and gentle smile. It was nice to be able to spend time with her no matter what… Hell, it was nice to have her on the stage with him… maybe; he could spend the rest of his life with her.

_The key to my way out of this abyss of doubt  
There's no time to wait or hesitate  
Even if I'm bound, and the key I have isn't the right one found  
Still, I will end it with the impact of the lock on the ground_

Later… he was going to ask Kazumi the big question. Sure, they wouldn't have to do it right away, after all they were still in high school but… he was going to ask her. Taking a deep breath, he just kept on playing the guitar as the music started to play. It was going to be something amazing that was for sure…

_My soul will shine its life through the pain and strife  
If I'm never saved, I'll still be brave  
If I disappear, my soul will still live on and help you fight your fears  
And the moonlight will reflect my shadow to show I'm still here_

Once the song was over, and they all went to the back stage to have a break, Yamihebi walked toward Kazumi and gave her a soft smile. Kazumi hugged him as she kissed his cheek. "You were great!" She said with a giggle before nuzzling him. Yamihebi of course couldn't help but blush and hug her back.

Yamihebi pulled back before he stared at Kazumi, giving her a soft and gentle smile before kissing her gently. He pulled back for a brief moment as he whispered two simple words to her. "Marry me…"

* * *

It had been a few years since he had asked Kazumi to marry him. Sure, she had been shocked hearing him ask her that but hey, she did just cheer and laugh. Yamihebi looked down the aisle when he heard the music playing. Over the years, he had grown taller, a bit more muscular from all the training he did to control his inner demon but it worked out for him. Though he kept his hair long only trimming it to reach his lower back instead of the floor.

Looking around the area, he saw that his brother was still in the black suit with a white undershirt and a black bow tie. It was good to have a brother, that way he had a best man. Across from him for the bride, was his sister and Hinata, his sister wore soft baby blue dress that reached the floor, hiding her feet from view. The same for Hinata.

Looking down the aisle, Yamihebi's breath was caught in his throat when he saw Kazumi walking down the aisle with her arms wrapped around Naruto's. Sometimes, it was amazing that Naruto accepted Yamihebi marrying Kazumi… after getting a punch to the face anyway.

Kazumi had changed as well… she was a little taller; though not by much mind you. Her hair was a little longer and well… she was curvier now than she was when she was a teen. Though he had never stopped loving her as much as he does when they were teens. Giving a soft smile, Yamihebi held out his hand for Kazumi when she was within reach.

Chuckling softly, the young man held Kazumi's hands in his as Naruto stood behind Yamihebi, one of his other best men. The priest kept on talking; about they were gathered to see Yamihebi unite with Kazumi. He wasn't really listening to him at all; all he cared about was Kazumi. Her dress clung to her perfectly, not too tightly, and not too loose on her either.

The dress was a soft lavender as was the head piece that clung to the soft curls of her hair. She's never looked so beautiful before, not that she wasn't always beautiful.

Finally, when the priest said that he could kiss the bride, he couldn't help but smile before kissing Kazumi softly. Yup, this was going to be a good day that was for sure. He though still had one thing up his sleep. After all, he did get the idea from Naruto when he had asked the blonde haired man how his wedding went.

When Kazumi sat down with her parents, Yamihebi took off and went to the stage and started to give them sheet music and he went up to the microphone. He grinned brightly as he said "this is to my beautiful wife." Soon, the music began.

_To change the world, and myself I need to believe in what I can achieve  
And that belief is always and forever in me_

Yamihebi had a soft smile on his face as he sang. To him, this was what he felt before, and after Kazumi came into his life. It just seemed right; this song was a song that came directly from his soul. Something that he never knew that he would ever feel but at the moment, he didn't care… all he cared about was singing for his wife.

_This world's getting worse to my dismay  
and I simply looked the other way, no longer…_

Walking off the stage with the microphone in hand, Yamihebi walked over toward Kazumi, his smile still bright yet soft and gentle. The love that held in his gaze, was a love that any woman would love to receive from their lover. His love, the love that he held in his heart was only for one special lady.

_I falter no longer, I worry no longer, I tremble no longer cause now I must choose  
When you gave me the courage,  
to stand and take action you gave me hope I will never lose…_

Gently, he grabbed Kazumi's hand and smiled at her before kissing the back of her hand. After that, he let go of her hand and gently lifted and cupped her cheek against his palm rubbing the pad of his thumb against her soft and delicate skin.

_One time my soul was as dark as the night  
But then you entered my soul with your light_

Soon, he wrapped his arm around Kazumi's waist and held her against his side. At a time, his soul had been surrounded by a darkness. A darkness that he felt like he could never escape from it. Something that seemed to drown him, something that he just couldn't swim away from that it would just keep coming after him and holding him down. That is, until a special light shined through the darkness that once surrounded his soul. Kazumi's kind heart and beautiful soul.

_I see the sun. My heart knows no limits, today I shall live life anew  
I'll open up all my windows to see the sky that's so blue  
To change the world, and myself I need to believe in what I can achieve  
And that belief will always be important to me_

Yamihebi could only smile at Kazumi as he held her close to him. Her face was tinted red, something that looked just so damn cute on her. Hell, he was amazed that she would still blush at him when he was this close to her. Sometimes, she was shy, yet other times she wasn't. It was like she truly was a perfect yet at the same time confusing mixture of her parents.

_I'm leaving my past behind me so,  
I'll search for the answers as I go  
Starting today!_

Pulling the microphone away from him, Yamihebi kissed Kazumi's red cheek and gazed at her with such must love that it would make anyone go 'awe' at the newly wedded couple. Letting go of her waist, the young man started to walk back toward the stage, a bright yet soft smile was on his face.

_Standing alone while the sun starts to rise, the  
rays are drying the tears in my eyes._

Taking a deep breath, Yamihebi felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Maybe it was that he had a great life now, he was so happy to have someone like Kazumi in his life. She loved him, no matter if he was demon or half-demon… That was what he loved about her; she was just so accepting of others… well, it was one of the many things about her he should say.

_I hear your voice calling out to me and your smile glistens radiantly.  
You opened up all the windows to let it shine down on me_

Back flipping onto the stage, Yamihebi stared at everyone and you could really tell they were all into the song. It was as if they knew that this song was a song from his heart, his soul. The very thing that he never knew that he would have felt because of his past, because of whose blood runs in his veins. Thankfully for Yamihebi, it isn't who your parents are that reshape your future, but what you decide to do.

_I'll change the world and myself, it's time to stand up and fight for what I believe  
And that's the strength that gives me what I need to be free!  
I see the sun. My heart knows no limits, today I shall live life anew…  
I'll open up all my windows to see the sky that's so blue.  
To change the world, and myself I need to believe in what I can achieve  
And that belief will always be important to me  
The sky's the limit, nothing's gonna stand in my way_

Staring at the crowd, Yamihebi just smiled at everyone, or he should say more toward Kazumi. She was standing with her parents talking to them. Naruto and Hinata both had bright smiles on their faces, just happy that their daughter was happy. Yamihebi wondered, if he would be a good parent since he himself hadn't been raised with love but with hate. But, maybe that would make him a great parent, because he knew what love was… he knew that a child should be raised up on love and not hate.

_I feel the wind rushing through my heart  
and I know the light will show me the way…_

Yamihebi set the microphone back on its stand before making his way to Kazumi. Everyone was clapping and cheering for Yamihebi. Something he still wasn't used to even though he was in a high school band as a teen though at the moment that didn't matter to him. Seeing as how everyone now started to dance with their dates or just to have fun, Yamihebi grabbed Kazumi's hand and smiled at her.

"How about we leave early?" He said with a smile, causing Kazumi to blush.

"But…"

"Most brides and grooms don't stay for the rest of the wedding… Besides, I wanna get started on the honeymoon." Said Yamihebi with a special smirk on his face, causing his wife's face to go even redder than it should have been.

"Yami!" shouted Kazumi, though thankful enough no one heard. The only thing everyone could hear was the groom's laughter.


End file.
